A DOOR IN TIME
by Silvertayl 57
Summary: Dean and Sam investigate mysterious deaths at the Athens, Ohio College Campus. Is it an angry spirit or something they have never encountered before?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_**Thursday at a motel in Louisiana**_

It had been over a week since Sam and Dean had sent that evil witch back to the dark place she had crawled from. They always managed to pick another hunt, usually after a couple of days, but nothing now for a whole week, stuck in this run-down motel in this dead end town.

And they were starting to get on each others nerves.

Dean lay stretched out on his bed arms locked beneath his head, feet crossed at the ankles, staring at the damp patch on the ceiling, he had come to know that patch of ceiling quite well.

Sam was sitting at the small table with the laptop open, scanning for anything that might get them back on the road.

Dean began to hum AC/DC's Highway To Hell, and moved a foot in time with the beat he could hear in his head.

"Dude, don't give up your day job."

"Sorry Sammy, but I'm bored, and we don't officially have a day job most of our work is in the dark, you'd better be seriously looking for a hunt, and not surfing the porn sites."

"Get your mind outta the gutter, Dean." Sam looked across the small room at Dean - he was so annoying when he was bored.

Dean didn't answer, his full lips twitching with the beginnings of a smile.

"Dean are you awake? I think I got something."

Dean lifted his head and looked at Sam, "You'd better not be yankin' my chain, Sam."

Sam's eyes slide to look at Dean and then back to the screen.

Dean was still looking at Sam, waiting for him to continue, the fading scratches on Sam's

right cheek left by the witch, still visible, but healing nicely, he waited, and waited. Not a word from Sam. The silence was deafening.

Sam knew Dean was watching him, waiting for him to say something about what he was looking at on the screen, so he deliberately said nothing, waiting for Dean to loose his cool, he also knew it wouldn't take long. Sam started to count up from 1 in his head, he was only up to 9 before Dean said through gritted teeth.

"Sam, are you gonna tell me or do you wanna die today."

"Well that didn't take long, I only got to 9." he had to laugh at the annoyed expression in Deans green eyes. "You should see your face."

"So not funny Sam."

"Okay, okay don't get your boxers in a twist." Still smiling Sam turned back to the laptop.

Dean lowered his head, and went back to his friend the damp patch, as Sam at long last began to read:

**THIRD MYSTERIOUS DEATH ON ATHENS CAMPUS**

_The body of 19 year old Ian Collins was found on the upper level of the only unused building in the Athens Ohio State College Campus on Sunday, 7 days after he went missing from the abandoned building formerly the __**Athens Asylum for the Insane**__, Mr. Collins was taking part in a fraternity initiation, and was required to stay over night in the old asylum to be accepted into the fraternity, a week later his body was found there. An autopsy revealed Mr. Collins died from brain damage, the coroner said a medical procedure called a Lobotomy had been performed on Mr. Collins which was the cause of death._

_A month ago, 2 college students Sally Browning and Steven Ashton both 20 disappeared from the same building after a student organized party, the last time Miss Browning and Mr. Ashton were seen alive they were ascending the stairs to the upper level. After the party they could not be located, their bodies were found 7 days later the cause of death the same as Mr. Collins. The coroner's report said all three victims had only been deceased for a few hours before discovered. Police are baffled as to the whereabouts of the victims between the time of disappearance and the time of death. Investigations are continuing into the mysterious deaths._

_Lobotomies were performed as a treatment for people suffering with mental conditions such as depression and schizophrenia, a number of patients either died or were left in a catatonic or vegetative state by these procedures. Lobotomies have not been used on the mentally disabled for many decades._

_The campus authorities have erected a steel security fence around the old Asylum to prevent any one from entering, and to hopefully avoid and prevent any further disappearances and subsequent deaths._

"Now that is a little weird." Dean said as he sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "You're thinking it might be something like Dr Ellicott and the Roosevelt Asylum."

"Makes sense the angry spirit of some wacko doctor who used to enjoy using these so called treatments on people with sick brains."

"So these kids all went missing on a Saturday night, their bodies found after 7 days, on the Sunday, which means they died on the Saturday night exactly 1 week later."

"They must have been held somewhere for days before someone or something turned their brain to mush."

Dean stood, picked up his duffle bag and started to throw things into it.

Sam still sat at the table, watching Dean's sudden flurry of movement.

Dean looked over his shoulder at Sam. "Look alive dude we've got work to do."

15 minutes later, Dean pulled the Impala out of that lousy Louisiana motel and pointed her in the direction of Athens Ohio.

**TBC**

My first attempt at fan fiction, please be kind and let me know how I'm doing, ta.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Saturday at the Ohio university Inn, Athens Ohio**_

After dropping all their gear at the Inn, a 4.5-star motel, a 3.5-star improvement from the last motel they'd resided in for 10 days, they were back in the Impala. After dropping Sam at the Athens library, to do more research into the history of the old asylum, Dean drove to the college campus with a fake state police ID in his pocket, to talk to the kids who had last seen the now deceased students before their disappearance.

Three hours later he looked at his watch, almost 4, Sam should be finished at the library by now. Flipping open his cell he connected to Sam's number, after 3 rings he heard Sam's tinny sounding voice say "Hey Dean."

"You finished Sam, or do you need more time to finish your love affair with those musty old books." Dean knew Sam loved to do that part of the research, the ex college boy was in his element in some old damp smelling library, surrounded by old tomes and even older librarians, Sam could have the library, Dean much preferred to do the leg work and talking.

"Ha ha very funny, yeah I'm finished, did you get anything outta those kids?"

"Not a lot but a couple of things that might be useful."

"That old asylum building has quite a past, come pick me up, I'll tell you back at the motel."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes." Dean closed his phone and made his way towards his sleek black baby.

Dean told Sam "The two guys who were with the Collins kid left him there around 11 on the Saturday night, they went back the next morning, no sign of him, they thought he had chickened out and gone back to the dorm. When he hadn't been seen for 3 days, they notified the college, police were called in, they found his body the next Sunday when they went back to find more evidence, that's about it."

"It's not a lot, what about the couple, did you find out anything there?"

"I talked to some of the kids that were at the party, apparently Sally and Steven went up to the top level around 11.30 for a bit of privacy. I think Steven was hoping for a bit of action - if you know what I mean." Dean said wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

Sam rolled his eyes and said with a sigh "Yeah Dean I know what you mean, and then what?"

"After the party broke up they couldn't be located, police were called in again, came up with nothing again. The campus put in security patrols morning and night, It was a security guard who found their bodies on the Sunday morning a week after they disappeared from the party, the rest we know." Dean said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Sam began to tell Dean what he had learned at the library. "I found an article from 2 years ago, the body of a man was found in the old asylum. The body was badly decomposed and had been there for some time. The autopsy couldn't determine the cause or time of death. He was identified with dental records as a Joseph Manners, a vagrant for many years, which is why no one missed him."

"Hm, so whatever killed whose kids is probably responsible for Manners' death as well, a total of 4 that we know of." Dean was serious now "We've gotta stop this thing before it kills again, It's only a matter of time before somebody gets back into that building on a Saturday night, and becomes another victim, we'll do it tonight."

Sam nodded. "I'll go and get us something to eat and some coffee" Sam picked up a sheaf of papers and held them out to Dean, "Here read this - it's the history of the asylum. They used to do some cruel stuff to those poor people."

Dean sat on the edge of the bed with the papers and began to read. Sam grabbed the car keys and headed to the door, his hand was turning the handle when Dean said "Hey Sam none of that healthy stuff, bring me a burger and fries."

Sam glanced over his shoulder at Dean "Ever heard of cholesterol and blocked arteries?"

"I'll have you know, my arteries are fine thank you very much, Dr Winchester."

"Yeah sure Dean, whatever."

Dean smiled as the door closed behind Sam and started to read:

_**The Athens Asylum for the Insane**__ opened its doors on __**January 9, 1874**__. Giant asylums were going up all over America because of the number of __**Civil War**__ veterans suffering from what we now call__** post-traumatic stress disorder**__, the cemetery contains many veterans from the __**Civil War**_

_Listed below are some of the treatments administered to patients:_

_**Water Treatment**_

_Patients were submerged in ice-cold water for extended periods of time._

_Sometimes they were wrapped in sheets which had been soaked in ice water and _

_restrained._

_**Shock Therapy**_

_Electric shocks were administered to patients submerged in water tanks or, more commonly, directly to the temples by the application of brine soaked electrodes. A patient held a rubber piece in his mouth to prevent him from biting off his tongue, during convulsions which followed a treatment. _

_**Lobotomy**__**(original)**_

_Patients had their skulls opened and their neural passages separated midway through the brain. This difficult and arduous procedure killed many people - those who survived were brain damaged and like infants forgetting how to control everyday bodily functions, such as going to the toilet._

_**Lobotomy (Trans-Orbital)**_

_Developed by Dr. William Franklin in the early 1950s, was widely used through the sixties. This method involved knocking the patient unconscious with electric shocks, then rolling the eyelid back and inserting a thin metal ice pick like instrument through a tear duct. A mallet was used to tap the instrument into the brain. Next it was moved back and forth in a sawing motion to sever the neural receptors. Sometimes this was done in both eyes. There is some evidence that this method helped some people with severe conditions, but more often the patient suffered side effects resulting in a catatonic state or in a lot of cases death._

_The final patients left __**The Athens Asylum**__**for the Insane**__ in 1993 and stood vacant for several years whilst Ohio University prepared to renovate it. In 2001, the building was opened to students as the __**Athens Ohio University Campus**__. However this is the only building on the campus that remains unrenovated._

After reading the information Sam had left for him, Dean was feeling nauseous. "_How could anyone do that to another human being?" _Dean thought to himself as he heard the motel door open and Sam came through juggling brown paper bags and two cups of coffee.

Dean's appetite returned when he smelled the aroma of the take-out Sam had placed on the table.

Dean crossed to the table and rummaged in one of the brown bags pulling out a large cheeseburger. "Mmmmm, fried food!"

Sam furrowed his brow, "Dude, you are sick! How can you eat that?" He said as he opened up his contained of garden salad.

"Eat me! Better still, eat your rabbit food and shut ya piehole!" Dean replied as he took a huge bite from the burger.

**TBC**

Things start to happen in the next chapter, promise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter**** 3**

_**Saturday evening at the Asylum**_

Using the bolt cutters Sam made short work of the padlock on the gates of the steel and mesh 10 foot high fence surrounding the asylum. They each carried their pistols and they shone a flash light onto the ground in front of them as they made their way through the asylum entrance.

The floor was scattered with all kinds of debris - broken tables, chairs, wooden door frames, moldy cushions, broken bottles and aluminum cans. Everywhere was covered with a thick layer of dirt and grime. A sliver of moonlight shone through the broken windows, illuminating parts of the floor and walls.

Sam looked at Dean in the dim light. "Why would anyone want to party in here." He said.

"Beats me, you check around down here I'll go upstairs, yell if you find something."

Dean headed towards the stairs, when Sam called his name, he turned back to Sam.

"What is it?"

"Be careful Dean."

"Yeah Sammy you know I will."

Dean made his way up the stairs shining his flash light on each step so he could avoid treading on something and turning an ankle. At the top of the stairs he found a long corridor with rusty metal doors evenly shaped out on each side. Every door had a small metal grill about 5 feet from the bottom. He stepped up to the closest door, using the handle, he pulled the door towards him with a rusty squeal. In the torch light Dean could see a small cell-like windowless room roughly 4 yards across by 4 yards deep. Pushed up against one wall was an old bed frame with a very old, dirty mattress haphazardly resting half on the base, the stuffing poking through rips in the fabric.

He continued to the end of the corridor looking into two more of the rooms he thought of as _**cells**_. To his left of the _**cells**_ he saw a recessed area with a waist-high counter three-quarters of the way across the front, with a sign reading **NURSES STATION **hanging lopsided by a short chain and one hook from the ceiling. To the right was another long corridor with two doors on each side.

The first room on the left had a sign above - **WATER TREATMENT **it was large containing 5 bath-like tubs the size of the average man spaced evenly across the center, the tubs clawed feet still bolted firmly to the floor.

Against the far wall were two square sinks with a rusty tap protruding from the wall above each of them, _the water treatment/torture room_. The room opposite the water treatment room sign read - **SHOCK THERAPY **smaller than the water treatment room contained only lever type power switches jutting from the wall.

Dean's mind went back to when he had been electrocuted 18 months earlier he could still feel the electricity coursing through his body; the thought of having to endure that torment regularly as the patients here must have, sent an involuntary shiver down his spine.

The remaining rooms had signs proclaiming them to be - **PROCEDURE ROOM – NO. 1 **and **PROCEDURE ROOM – NO. 2**. Both rooms had the same power levers on the walls and were empty except for a gurney in treatment room 2, the restraining straps still attached. Dean could almost see some poor soul lying prostrate and restrained on that gurney with an ice-pick protruding from his eye.

Dean went back into the corridor _nothing up here, maybe Sam found something?_ At the end of the treatment room corridor he turned into the corridor of _**cells**_ and stopped dead -something had changed, the temperature had dropped suddenly. He stopped and shone the light around to find the reason for the change in temperature. The air in front of him began to shift and shimmer. He blinked his eyes a couple of times to clear his vision, _still there,_ _this is different _thenas suddenly as it had begun it stopped, the temperature had risen and air had stopped shifting, but something **had **changed the corridor looked different.

Sam had finished on the ground floor, all he had located was the kitchen area and what could have been a large communal dining area. The only remaining pieces of furniture were a couple of broken dining chairs tossed into the corner. A smaller room was looked to have been used as a lounge/recreational room with a bracket for a TV still attached to the wall for some of the patients, those who weren't undergoing some kind of

treatment on the floor above where Dean was looking.

Sam thought that whoever or whatever is responsible for the recent deaths was a no show tonight.

He glanced at his watch, the small beam of the flash light illuminating the watch face _five after midnight, I wonder if Dean found anything upstairs?_

Sam slowly made his way back through the empty rooms and stood at the bottom of the stairs listening for any sounds of Dean descending from the floor above. "Dean you found anything? There's nothing down here. I think this is a waste of time." His voice echoing up the stairwell, there was no reply. Sam started up the stairs.

Dean felt a hand grasp onto his upper arm and a voice hissed in his ear, "How did you get out of your room?"

Dean turned his head towards the voice and came face-to-face with a white uniform. His eyes traveled up to the angry face that was attached to the uniform. To Dean, this guy looked like he had just stepped out of a wrestling ring. Everything about him was huge – his muscles were bulging through the material of his white coat and the veins in his neck looked ready to burst. _Man! This is one ugly guy!_

"Who the hell are you?" Dean asked. "And you can get your hand off me dude!"

"Come on now. I don't wanna have to use force. Let me take you back to your room."

Dean tried to pry the huge man's fingers from his arm. "You're not takin' me anywhere!"

The big guy sighed and said, "Look's like we're gonna have to do this the hard way." With a smirk on his face, he yelled, "Frank! Need you here! We've got a problem!"

With his free hand, Dean reached behind and felt for the pistol tucked into the waistband of his jeans. His pistol was gone and so were his jeans. He looked down at himself to see he was now wearing a pair of regulation hospital pajamas and his feet were bare.

"What the hell?" Dean felt another hand grab his other arm and looked up to see another man equally as large as the first man.

Dean began to struggle to free himself from their clutches only to have the pressure of their grip intensify.

"Matron Reed! Sedative required for the patient from room 6!" Yelled Frank.

Dean's shocked eyes took in the sight of a portly older woman in a nurse's uniform and brandishing a large hypodermic needle.

"Oh no, no, no! You ain't jabbing me with that lady!" Dean said as he struggled harder to release himself from the grip of the thugs.

"Now, now. Just a little prick, won't hurt at all." Matron Reed smiled as she lifted the sleeve of Dean's pajama top and roughly jabbed the needle into his upper arm injecting the clear fluid.

"This can't be happening." Dean said through clenched teeth.

Within a matter of seconds, Dean could feel the effects of the drug coursing through his bloodstream. His vision started to waver and his knees felt weak and would no longer hold his weight. Dean felt himself being dragged down the corridor into one of the _**cells**_ and roughly thrown down onto the cot and then felt no more.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter ****4**

_**Sunday morning at the Asylum**_

Sam made his way along the corridor of _**cells **_looking into every one for any sign of his brother, outside the last _**cell**_the flash light glinted off something shiny on the floor. Sam bent down to get a closer look.

It was Dean's pistol and next to that, his watch, ring and his amulet necklace, still on the brown leather cord. _Dean never took that or the ring off, why would he leave these, his gun and his watch here? It doesn't make sense._

"Dean where are you? You'd better not be screwin' around. This is so not funny."

Sam picked up Dean's gun and pushed it into the waistband at the back of his jeans beside his own pistol. The watch, ring and necklace he pushed deep into his pocket.

He continued his search, his stomach now churning with worry for his brother.

Sam had looked everywhere into all the treatment rooms, the nurses station, and the _**cells**_ for a second time. He had even shone the light down the old elevator shaft that he had found opposite the stairs, expecting to see Dean's crumpled body lying at the bottom. The only thing he saw was the accumulated rubbish at the bottom of the shaft.

Sam looked again at his watch with the flash light, twenty past one. He'd been searching up here for over an hour.

Descending the stairs much too quickly for the amount of light in the stairwell, Sam was lucky he didn't trip and fall. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. _I'll be no good to Dean with a broken ankle. _He searched again downstairs.

Still no Dean. _Oh god where could he have gone?_

A horrifying thought came to Sam _I'm not going to find him._ Dean had been taken like the others.

A vision of Dean's lifeless body lying on the floor upstairs in a week from now came unbidden it to Sam's mind.

"No" Sam said yelled into the air. **"It's not gonna happen. You hear me? I'm going to stop it, somehow. I will find Dean and get him back alive"**

Sam could feel tears pricking at the back of his eyes, his voice now quiet and shaky when he said "Where are you, Dean?"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dean could hear voices a man and a woman, they were having a conversation close to his bed. _I wish they'd talk someplace else, trying to sleep here, and how come they were here in our motel room anyway?_

The voices became clearer as the fog in his head began to roll away.

"So you had to sedate him Matron?" The man said

_That's not Sam, where is Sam?_

"I'm afraid so Dr. Franklin, he left us no choice. He somehow got out of his room, then when Ted and Frank tried to take him back he became agitated, fighting them and he didn't know who we were."

_Are they talking about me? _Dean opened his eyes, two faces swam into sight. The older woman her hair scraped up under a white cap _a nurse's cap_ looked from the man to him. _Where have I seen her before?_

"He's awake doctor"

The fiftyish man with a greased down comb over and an outdated suit that looked like something you'd find at the good will store leaned down into Dean's face. "Young man can you here me"

"_Yeah I can here ya. Get the hell out my face out of our room and where's Sam" _Dean wanted to say, but his mouth was dry and his tongue so swollen he couldn't force the words around it.

The _**doctor**_ patted Dean's shoulder and said "Don't worry son you'll feel better soon" He straightened and turned to the nurse "We'll start with a water treatment Matron."

"Yes Dr. Franklin, I'll arrange it for this afternoon."

Without another glance at Dean they turned away and exited the room.

_This is so wrong, I've gotta' get outta' here gotta' find Sammy!_

He started to get up from the bed, but couldn't. _ Now what?_

Dean lifted his head and looked down the length of his body. He was clad in white pyjamas. His hands and his bare feet were restrained with thick leather straps attached to the side of the bed. _No not a bed a hospital cot._

_What the hell_? He tugged hard against the straps they wouldn't budge.

Dean lay his head back down with a sigh of frustration. He began to try and piece together the memory of how he had come to be in this dire situation.

He and Sam had been in the old asylum, Sam downstairs he was upstairs. He remembered a change in the air and then a change in the asylum. It wasn't old and run down anymore. It looked like it had in the pictures Sam had shown him from the library, the pictures taken in the sixties. _How can that be?_

The next thing he remembered two huge men were holding him while that woman, the matron, Matron Reed _that was her name_, had stuck him with a needle.

He vaguely remembered the _**wrestlers **_dragging him along the corridor of _**cells**_ and dumping him onto a cot in one of them.

_So where am I now, this couldn't be the asylum surely_, _some hospital maybe, I don't remember ever seeing a hospital like this __**ever.**_

Dean again lifted his head and looked around the small windowless room. It some how looked familiar like he had seen it before.

Then Dean knew. _I am still in the asylum, tied to a cot in one of the __**cell **__rooms._

The asylum was now as it had been before it had fallen into disrepair and abandoned, as it had been at the time Dr Franklin had been performing his _**treatments **_on the mentally ill. Dr William Franklin who had been in this room with him not five minutes ago, telling Dean he was going to start him on his _**treatments**_ today.

_Surely this is a nightmare, I can't have traveled back in time, it's not real it's science fiction. Like __**H G**__**Wells'**__**The Time Machine.**__ There has to be another explanation._

Dean knew he had the explanation. It was in front of his eyes he _**had **_somehow traveled back to the nineteen sixties.

"I'm so screwed!" he said to the ceiling.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1

The treatments outlined in chapter 1 were actually used on the mentally ill. Many thanks to Loco and Ms Okie Dokie for their excellent beta skills

**Chapter**** 5**

_**Sunday morning at the Ohio University Inn**_

Sam was pacing back and forth across the room. He was waiting for his cell to ring, waiting for Bobby's voice to tell him he knew how to get Dean back.

Sam had phoned Bobby from outside the asylum, not caring that it was only 2am. Bobby had answered after seven rings, his voice rough with sleep. "This better be good at two in the morning."

"Hey Bobby its Sam, I'm sorry to…"

Before he could apologize for the earliness of his call Bobby said "Sam what's wrong, you and Dean okay?"

"I'm fine but, Bobby, Dean's in trouble." Bobby could hear the anxiety in Sam's voice.

"What the hell has he done now? He must be in bad trouble for you to call at this hour Sam."

"Yeah he is." A hesitation, then Sam continued, "Something's taken him Bobby you gotta help me I don't know what to do or how to get him back."

"Sam calm down and tell me what's goin' on." Bobby hoped his tone of voice would calm Sam enough to explain what had happened to Dean.

It did.

Once Sam started to explain the events of the last day the words tumbled forth from his mouth like water that had burst from a hole in a dam.

When Sam had finished, he had left nothing out and Bobby said "I'll look into it and get back to you, keep your phone on and Sam,"

"Yeah Bobby?"

"We will get him back."

"Thanks Bobby."

Sam had driven back to the motel to wait for Bobby to call back. It was now 8.15 and his phone hadn't rang, he looked at the cell to make sure it was on. _Come on ring._

Sam began to pace again. He stopped in front of the window and pushed the curtain aside.

The morning sun streamed in across Sam's face. _How dare the sun shine so brightly when my brother is gone. Is it sunny where he is?_ _God I wish he was here annoying me with his smart ass comments and insults._

Sam thought it was ironic that three days ago he had wanted to be away from Dean , a long way. Now all he wanted was for Dean to be in this room with him, driving him crazy with his stupid jokes and for them to be sharing some friendly brotherly banter.

Then the phone rang. _Thank god. _

Sam dropped the curtain back in place and sprang at the phone. "Hey Bobby what did you find out?"

"Well, I think I know where Dean is, and I think I know how to get him back."

"Where is he?"

"This is gonna sound strange but hey we're used to strange right, I think Dean never left the asylum, I mean he's still there."

"No he's not I searched everywhere, he's **not **there Bobby."

"I think he is you just can't see him."

"What are you talkin' about can't see him?"

"I think he's there in a different time."

"A different time?" Sam paused then said "You mean like time travel?"

"Yeah."

"It's science fiction Bobby." Sam's voice was skeptical.

"I don't think so Sam."

"Come on you're tryin' to tell me Dean's in another time?"

"Listen do you wanna get Dean back or not?"

"Yes of course I do, but…"

"But nothing, sometimes a door opens in time and you can go through that door into another time. It's happened before and it will happen again Sam."

"A door in time I guess that would explain what's going on at the asylum."

"I think there's one of these doors on the upper floor of the asylum it opens up on a Saturday night. I think Dean was there when it opened. You said all the disappearances happened on a Saturday night."

"All except the Manners guy, no one knew when he actually disappeared, but yeah the three kids did, but how come I didn't go through when I went up there?"

"It only opens for a couple of minutes, and was already closed when you went up."

"So what am I gonna do to get Dean back from whatever time he's in?"

"You need to be there the next time it opens up, go through find Dean and get back out before it closes again or you'll both be stuck there until it opens again."

"Bobby all those kids were dead when they were found."

"Doesn't mean that they were dead when they came back through they more than likely died after that but before their bodies were found."

"I hope your right Bobby."

"Yeah me too Sam, now you'll have to be quick because the door will only be open for a couple of minutes, five at most. Oh and Sam one more thing you won't be able to take any weapons through with you."

"Oh great. You got any more good news?"

Bobby didn't answer that he said. "You know I'd come and help if I didn't have this hunt that will take at least another week. I've just gotta finish this one."

"Sure Bobby I understand, thanks for the heads up on this."

"Sam be careful and bring that pain in the ass brother of yours back safe."

"I will, thanks again Bobby."

_**Sunday afternoon at the Asylum**_

Dean thought he must have dozed off. He was awakened by the opening of the door. _**Wrestler No.1 **_came into the room followed closely by _**Wrestler No. 2. **_They moved close to the cot and looked down at Dean.

"I want no trouble out of you buddy, we're going to take you to your treatment, okay?" Said _**No. 1**_

"Look pal I don't know who you think I am, but I am **not **a patient and I'm **not** having any treatment you got it?" Dean said.

"That's what they all say." he sighed and looked over at_** No. 2 **_and said "Well it looks like we have to do this the hard way, **again."**

_**No. 2 **_smiled at _**No. 1**_ and said. "Okie dokie Ted I'm ready when you are."

They started to undo the straps around Dean's wrists and ankles. As soon as he had one ankle and one wrist free, he kicked out at _**No. 2**_. Dean's foot impacted with his chest, _**No. **_2 grunted in surprise and stumbled back a couple of steps.

At the same time Dean had kicked _**No. 2**_. He curled his free hand into a fist and landed a punch into the face_** of No. 1.**_

_**No. 1 **_didn't even flinch. He grabbed Dean's hair, pulled his head back and hissed into his face. "I told you no more trouble boy. You okay Frank?"

_**No. 2 **_had recovered quickly and looking down at Dean said. "You shouldn't of done that."

_**No. 1 **_let go of Dean's hair and said to **No. 2**. "Let's do this."

_Now I've done it. _Dean thought.

They finished untying him and pulled him roughly off the cot. Taking hold of an arm each they viciously twisted them behind his back and forced him out the door along the corridor and into the corridor of treatment rooms.

Stopping in front of the first door only long enough to open the door they hustled Dean inside.

Dean saw the large tubs and knew what this treatment was. _Shit their going to put me in an ice cold bath._

All the tubs had hinged lids. The first two were closed and he knew why. There were men in them. Their heads the only part of them visible through the opening at one end of the lids.

One of the men was moaning and the other was lying so still and quiet his eyes shut Dean thought he might be dead.

As a last resort Dean tried to reason with the men. "Guys please don't do this you're making a mistake, I'm not supposed to be here."

Before Dean could say another word, they thrust him forward past the two occupied tubs, to stand in front of the next one.

Dean looked down into the tub, chunks of ice floated in the water, swirling sluggishly around the tub filled to a third of the way from the top.

Dean attempted to break away, but their grip tightened. _They're too strong. I'm not gonna get outta this one._

Before he realized what they were doing, they had stripped him of his pyjamas and were lifting him into the tub.

Dean gasped as his body hit the water. He was unable to speak a word as the intense cold robbed him of speech and his breath seemed to be frozen in his lungs. His body stiffened as he sank up to his neck in the icy water.

_**No. 2 **_quickly closed the lid and _**No. 1 **_slid the bolts across that held the lid in place. There was no way out.

_Oh god. I'm gonna die in a freezing cold bath in the Time Tunnel._

He saw the satisfied smirks on the faces of _**No.1 **_and _**No.2 **_above him. "That should shut him up for awhile." _**No.1**_ said with satisfaction."Enjoy your soak in the tub." Before they moved away.

After a minute Dean couldn't keep his eyes from drifting closed and was shivering uncontrollably. After two minutes, he thought his blood had frozen in his veins and ceased to flow, his body completely numb. After three minutes he had stopped to shiver. Even in the semi conscious state he was now in, Dean knew that was a bad thing. After four minutes his brain started to shut down.

**TBC**

I know there are some people reading A DOOR IN TIME, please take a few seconds to leave a review and let me know what you think. All constructive criticism will be appreciated. (Doesn't mean I have to like it though).

Thanks for reading

Silvertayl


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_**Sunday afternoon at the Ohio University Inn**_

Sam had been on the internet all day trying to find as much information as he could about time travel. He had wanted to go back to the library and go through the science fiction section, however the library was closed on Sundays, and he would have to wait until tomorrow.

Sam was going back to the asylum tonight after dark hoping upon hope that the door in time would open again tonight and he could get Dean back.

However Sam knew deep inside that the door would not be opening tonight or any night this week until Saturday evening.

Sam would still go tonight and every night this week just in case the door opened before then.

For the hundredth time that day Sam looked at his watch 4.40.

Sam rubbed at his tired eyes and closed the laptop.

_I'll have a shower and eat something , then head back to the asylum about nine._

Sam's stomach growled loudly and he realized he hadn't eaten since he and Dean had sat here with take out nearly 24 hours ago. He remembered how he had berated Dean about his love of fried food, while he had eaten his rabbit food as Dean had called it.

Sam sighed and pushed himself up from the table and turned towards the bathroom.

A sudden feeling of intense cold invaded Sam's body; it was so cold Sam couldn't move and he felt numb all over.

Sam knew this was some kind of connection to Dean and what he was going through at the same time somewhere in another time.

_Oh god he's so cold what the hell are they doing to him?_

Sam felt a churning sickness in his stomach. _I'm going to hurl._

Sam forced his legs forward the few steps into the bathroom, he leaned over the basin. He dry heaved a couple of times. Turning on the faucet Sam rinsed out his mouth and looked up into the mirror above the basin. Instead of his reflection he saw Dean's, the freckles across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose stood out against the paleness of his skin, his eyes closed, and his lips tinged blue.

Sam reached out his hand to the reflection. As his hand contacted the mirror the reflection changed to his own, staring back at him with his eyebrows drawn together, his forehead creased into a frown.

Sam realized the intense cold coursing through his body was gone.

A horrifying thought hit Sam like a shovel to the back of the head. Had his connection to Dean been broken because Dean was now dead?

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_**Monday morning at the Asylum**_

Dean had no idea how much time had gone by from when he had lost consciousness in the icy cold of tub to now. It could have been minutes, hours or days for all he knew.

Although his body was still cold, without opening his eyes he knew he was no longer submerged in the tub.

Dean could not feel his fingers and toes so he wriggled them to get the blood flowing into them.

Dean opened his eyes and groaned when he saw a now familiar ceiling above him; he lifted his head in a way that was also becoming all too familiar since he'd been here.

He was clad once **again** in white pyjamas and strapped **again **to the cot.

Dean glanced about the room to see if he could get an idea of how long he had been in this nightmare.

The windowless drab gray room gave him no clue.

Dean lowered his head back to the cot as his thoughts turned to Sam. Was he okay? Was he looking for him? And does Sam know about this time shift thing that had some how landed him here in the sixties?

Dean's musing about Sam was interrupted by the sound of the bolt on the door sliding back.

Dean again lifted his head as the door swung open. A large man backed into the room pulling a tiered cart behind him laden with trays of dinner plates covered with metal lids.

Wearing the regulation white orderly uniform the man was as big and ugly as _**No. 1**_ and _**No. 2. **_Dean decided he'd be _**No. 3.**_

Without a word _**No. 3**_ picked up a tray from the second tier of the cart, removed the lid and threw it back down onto the cart with a clatter of metal.

_**No. 3**_ slopped some murky liquid into a small cup from a large jug on the top of the cart, slammed the cup down onto the tray so hard the liquid inside jumped out all over the plate and the tray.

Then _**No. 3 **_still without a word spoken shoved a spoon into the sloppy mess and dropped the tray onto Dean's stomach, turned away and began to push the tray from the room.

"If you expect me to eat **that** you'll have take off the straps, oh silent one." Dean said sarcastically.

No reaction from _**No.3. **_He continued out the door pushing the cart in front of him. The door slammed behind _**No.3**_ and Dean heard the bolt slide back into place.

"Hey pal, you deaf? Untie me." Dean yelled at the closed door.

And silence was the firm reply.

"You've gotta be kiddin me." Dean said in frustration.

Dean leaned his head up as far as the restraints would allow trying to reach the tray with his mouth, so he could pull it up far enough to get something in his mouth.

_This is not gonna work I can't get close enough._

Dean tried to turn his hand in towards the tray, the leather straps chaffing the skin on his wrist. He touched the edge of the tray with his finger tip and tried to pivot the tray closer to his mouth. His finger slipped off the edge of the tray tipping it into the air. The tray hit the floor with a clatter, the plate, cup and their contents landed partially on him and the floor beside the tray.

With a groan of frustration Dean lay his head down on the cot and said. "That worked well, not." Then added to himself. "If the treatments don't kill me, I'll starve to death."

**TBC**

**If read this, could you please leave a review, thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_**Tuesday morning at the Asylum**_

Dr. Franklin was reading the notes Matron Reed had been meticulously recording on the patient in room 6. Every detail relating to the patient was written before him in the matron's firm handwriting.

"So the water treatment hasn't helped his condition at all, Matron?" Dr. Franklin said looking from the notes to the Matron.

"I'm afraid not doctor, as you can see in my notes he is still exhibiting psychotic behavior. Still claiming there's nothing wrong with him. He is hostile to my staff and just the morning he refused to eat and threw his morning meal onto the floor." replied Matron Reed.

"I will reassess his mental status. I may have to try electro shock therapy to improve his condition, come with me Matron."

Dr. Franklin and the Matron moved from the nurse's station into the corridor.

The Matron spoke to the large man perched on a tiny chair at the other end of the corridor. "Stan, open No.6 for Dr. Franklin he wishes to speak with the patient."

Stan got hastily to his feet and moved to room 6, unbolted the door and pulled it open, then stood back to allow them to enter.

Dr. Franklin moved to the cot looking down into the hostile bloodshot green eyes of the young man restrained there. "Young man why did refuse to eat and throw your food on the floor? This kind of behavior and your behavior towards the staff is unacceptable."

"You've got to be kiddin me, Mister Congeniality out there just about dumped it on me and expected me to eat with these on." His eyes indicating the restraints.

The doctor looked at the matron. "Is this true Matron, was the patient left restrained at meal time?"

"No doctor, of course not. Stan removed the restraints to allow him to eat. He threw the meal on the floor, so Stan had to restrain him again."

The doctor looked back down at the patient. "Why did you do that? You must eat, we are trying to help you."

"Hey doc your kind of help I don't need."

"That is why you are here."

"The only thing I want you to do for me is untie me, I need to take a leak."

At the young man's request the doctor looked a little embarrassed. "Stan, take the restraints off so he can use the chamber pot."

Stan came in, over to the cot and removed the restraints. He bent down beside the cot taking something from underneath it. When he straightened he was holding a ceramic chamber pot which he thrust towards the patient. "Make it snappy." He said.

"It speaks." The patient said as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot and sat rubbing at his chaffed wrists.

Then he stood slowly and took the offered chamber pot by the handle.

"A bit of privacy here." He said looking from the matron to the doctor then at Stan.

"Stan will stay." The doctor said as he turned and left the room followed by the matron.

Stan crossed his arms across his massive chest and waited. "Hey Stan you like to watch huh?" said the patient.

There was nothing in Stan's expression to indicate he had heard the sarcastic comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Dean knew this was his best and probably only chance of getting out of here. Somehow he needed to get back to 2007 and back to Sam, before these people killed him with these treatments.

No longer restrained and on his feet, he had to try something.

If he was successful in his bid for freedom, what the hell was he gonna do then where would go he was in the sixties a time before he was even born. _I'll just have to make something up as I go along._

Dean turned his back on _**No.3**_ and made use of the chamber pot.

As he turned back he used the momentum of the turn and the weight of the pot and swung it against the side of _**No. 3's**_ head.

The chamber pot shattered against his head showering him with pieces of broken pot and urine. He went down without a sound.

Dean vaulted over his prone body, went to the door looking cautiously out into the corridor. To his right at the nurses' station Dr. Franklin and the matron were conversing with their backs to him. To his left the corridor was empty.

Dean went that way and ran towards where he knew the stairs were, on the right at the end of the corridor.

He was almost there when _**No.1**_ turned into the corridor from the stairs.

Dean's bare feet skidded to a stop on the polished floor. "Son of a bitch." He said.

_**No.1 **_stopped suddenly when he saw him, then _**No.1 **_smiled a smile so evil any demon would have been proud and said. "What do we have here, you planning' on goin' somewhere?"

Dean returned the smile with one of his own, at the same he lifted his leg in a kick aimed at _**No.1's **_groin.

Before Dean's kick connected the big man grabbed Dean's uplifted leg by the ankle and twisted it to one side all in the one motion.

This sent Dean's whole body in the direction of the twisting of his foot. Dean hit the floor on his chest and stomach, his face smashing painfully into the hard floor.

Dean was momentarily stunned by the contact with the floor.

_**No.1 **_pushed his knee into the small of Dean's back at the same time grabbing his wrists and twisting them painfully back and up towards his shoulder blades.

Dean held back a cry of pain at the pain in his back and arms.

His bid for freedom had failed.

He heard the sound of rubber soled shoes squeaking against the floor as they ran towards where he lay at the end of the corridor.

Dean heard the doctor's voice but was unable to see him, as his face was still mashed against the floor. "Matron, sedate this patient at once."

"Yes doctor right away."

Dean felt the familiar prick of a needle this time in the side of his neck. "Not this again." He said through clenched teeth.

The drug took effect almost immediately and Dean could feel his senses dulling.

The pressure on his arms lessened and the knee was removed from his back.

Now unable to fight them off, he felt one of them take his wrists and another his ankles, then lifted him so that his back was brushing against the floor and his head fell back and banged painfully against the floor.

He was carried back to the room like a sack of rice, dumped once again on the cot and the restraints tied back in place.

Dean was able to say one more thing before his senses finally left him. "Sorry Sammy I tried."

**TBC**

**Please review ta.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1

**Chapter 8**

_**Wednesday Morning at the Ohio University Inn**_

Sam sat on the side of his bed as a sigh of frustration escaped him.

He had spent a fourth uneventful night at the asylum, leaving there at dawn to avoid the morning security patrol.

Sam had picked up some breakfast on the way back to the inn. It still sat on the table untouched, he had thought he was hungry but his appetite had deserted him.

He hadn't had any more of those strange psychic connections to Dean since the first one on Sunday. _Is he still alive?_

Sam looked across at the empty bed opposite him, Dean's bed. He could imagine Dean lying stretched out along the bed on his stomach, his hand under the pillow clutching his favorite knife.

Laying back on his bed Sam closed his eyes. His weary body telling him it needed to sleep. He had gone a fourth night without sleeping and exhaustion was taking hold.

_I'll sleep for a few hours and go back to the asylum tonight, after dark. Maybe tonight it will open and I'll get Dean back._

Within minutes Sam was deeply asleep.

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_**Wednesday Afternoon at the Asylum**_

When Dean opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ugly face of _**No.2.**_

He swallowed a couple of times to work up enough saliva to say. "Now that's a scary sight to wake up to."

"Still got that smart mouth." Said _**No.2 **_

"Hey I try hard." Dean said

_**No.1**_ stepped into view beside _**No.2**_. He smiled the same evil smile he had when he'd found him in the corridor, and said. "We'll see what a smart mouth you've got left after the treatment Dr. Franklin has in store you."

"Another cold bath? Well I sure enjoyed the first one." Dean said trying to hide his growing fear.

"This is gonna be much more enjoyable than the tubs." Said _**No.2 **_"Enjoyable for us coz we get to watch, for you maybe not so much." He added with a smirk.

Dean tried to return the smirk with one of his own, but he knew it wasn't very convincing.

"It's time to go, Dr. Franklin is waiting." Said _**No.1.**_

With the remains of the sedative in his system, weak from lack of food and water, Dean was unable to put up much resistance as the two big men undid the restraints and lifted him off the cot onto a gurney that had been pushed up beside the cot.

The gurney also had restraints which they also fastened.

Dean tried to swallow the lump of fear lodged in his throat.

They then pushed the gurney through the door along the corridor, swung it to the right into the next corridor, and stopped along side the first door on the right.

Dean turned his head that way and saw the sign on the door. It said **SHOCK THERAPY** in large black letters.

He broke out in a cold sweat and chills of terror ran up his spine.

He knew what this was.

He'd been electrocuted eighteen months ago, when Sam and him had killed that Rawhead. It had almost killed him as well, and they were going to do it to him again, disguised as treatment for a mental illness he didn't even have.

"Oh God please don't do this." Dean said in desperation.

"Did I hear him say please? _**No.1**_. said with a glance at _**No.2**_. he then leaned in close to Dean's face and said. "You've been asking for this, pal." With that he pushed open the door and _**No.2**_ maneuvered the gurney through it.

Dean was moved from the gurney to the large table in the middle of the room.

Even though he knew there was no escape, he still tried. He had managed to sit up and swing one leg off the side of the table, before he was thrown back down hard against it. _**No.**_1 holding him down as _**No.2 **_tied the restraints around his ankles and wrists, then one around his chest and another across his forehead.

Dean was now unable to move at all.

His body was trembling and his breath was coming in short gasps.

Dr Franklin appeared in front of him. He smiled and patted Dean on the shoulder much the same as he had that first time. "Don't worry son, it will be all be over soon and you'll feel much better." He said

Dean managed to say in between gasping breaths. "Please doc don't do this I don't need it, I already feel fine. You're making a mistake."

"It's for the best you'll see." He said patting Dean's shoulder again.

"I… don't... freakin… believe… this…" Dean was really gasping now.

The matron appeared above his head holding in each hand an electrode dripping with water, a long lead snaking from each. Without a word she applied the electrodes to each temple, the water from them dripping down the side of his face and into his ears.

She took the other end of the wires and moved to the side. Dean managed to roll his eyes that way and saw her attach the wires to some kind of machine on a small table near the wall, and then she took another wire that was protruding from somewhere at the back of the machine and clipped onto the bottom of the lever on the wall above it.

Dean's eyes went back to the doctor standing in front of him. He pried Dean's mouth open and shoved some kind of rubber mouth piece into his mouth.

Dean knew what that was for, so he wouldn't bite off his tongue.

He felt a tear roll from the corner of his eye, down his face to blend with the water pooling in his ear.

Dean rolled his eyes from the doctor back to the matron who was standing with her hand on the lever.

"Ready Matron?" the doctor said.

Dean rolled his eyes back to the doctor. His eyes pleading with him not give the signal.

"Yes doctor."

He nodded his head to the matron "Begin" was all he said.

She threw the lever.

Dean's body was lifted off the table as far as the restraints would allow the electricity coursing through his body which twitched and jerked, the pain excruciating. _Stop, stop it, I can't stand it your killin me._

Dean had no idea how long the torment went on for. He lost consciousness after the first agonizing minutes.

When it was time the doctor gave the matron the signal to stop the flow of the electricity.

She pushed the lever back up.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

The patient was convulsing uncontrollably.

The convulsions lasted for several minutes gradually decreasing until they stopped. It was then the doctor removed the electrodes and the mouth guard.

The young man was unconscious his half closed eyes glazed and unseeing.

The doctor looked at the orderlies waiting near the door and said "You can take him back now."

After the restraints were removed and they were transferring him to the gurney, the doctor added "There's no need for restraints, he'll give you no more trouble."

"Yes doctor." They said in unison.

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_**Wednesday afternoon at the Ohio University Inn**_

Sam awoke from the nightmare sitting up with a cry of "**DEAN." **He was trembling and sweating with the feeling of electricity still tingling in his body.

But this wasn't a nightmare, it had happened.

Sam felt bile rising in throat, sliding hastily off the bed he stumbled into the bathroom barely managing to lift the lid on the toilet before emptying the meager contents of his stomach. Several minutes later after the dry retching had stopped he pulled his shaking body up, using the basin for support and rinsed his mouth out under the faucet. Looking into the mirror, he expected to once again to see Dean's reflection, because he knew his reality nightmare was another connection to Dean, and Dean was suffering and in pain. They had done that to him while Sam slept. They had given Dean electro shock therapy.

His own refection was staring back at him. The connection was again broken.

His dark green/blue eyes were bloodshot from the retching his face pale, his brows again drawn into a frown.

Sam knew what they had done to his brother because he had felt it all, every agonizing second.

_Dean, I'm sorry I couldn't stop this. Please stay strong bro, I'm coming for you._

Sam looked again in the mirror his eyes now reflecting his determination and resolve. He would get his brother back.

"I will do it I will get him back." He said to the mirror.

**TBC**

**The Electro Shock Therapy I described in this chapter is based on information I got from Google, and family experience with Electro Shock Therapy. I hope it was okay. Please read and review.**

**Once again special thanks go to my betas Ms Okie Dokie and Loco.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_**Saturday Morning at the asylum**_

Dean didn't know how long it was before his senses came back to him.

He was dizzy, his vision blurred and he had a bad taste in his mouth. He had the worst hangover **ever.**

_What happened to me_, _I don't remember drinking that much, I don't remember drinking at all._

Dean opened his eyes wide trying to clear his vision. A gray ceiling swam into view. _Doesn't look like the motel ceiling?_

His memory rushed back in like a wave on the ocean. _The asylum, shock therapy, the pain, oblivion._

Dean lifted his hand to rub at his throbbing temples.

_Wait a minute, how can that be. I'm tied down._ It was then he realized his hands and feet were free of the restraints. _I'm not tied down, wonder why?_

Looking around the room Dean looked at the door and couldn't believe his eyes. _The door's open, I'm seeing things._

He closed his eyes and opened them again expecting to see the door closed. No it's still open.

_Maybe my luck has finally changed; it could be something else, a trick maybe._

He stood up and waited for the room to stop spinning before making his way to the door. He looked into the corridor. It was empty.

Using the wall for support he made his way to the end and peered around the corner at the door leading to the stairway. He took the few steps towards the door, opened it and looked down into the stairwell, no sign of any movement on the stairs.

He took the stairs slowly, one at a time holding tight to the metal railing to keep himself from tumbling forward head first down to the bottom, his bare feet slapping against each of the concrete steps, his legs still weak and shaky his head dizzy and his eye sight wavered in and out of focus.

When he reached the bottom he stopped as a feeling of faintness overcame him. He sat down on the bottom step taking deep breaths and waiting for the feeling to pass.

After a minute he got back to his feet and took the three steps towards the door leading to the ground floor of the asylum and hopefully freedom.

Dean was reaching for the handle when something heavy hit him from behind pushing him hard against the door, forcing the breath from his lungs.

The weight against him eased for a moment as his right arm was pulled back and twisted painfully under his shoulder.

_I got further than last time. _Dean's weakened body was failing him, he had no strength to push back against the weight pinning him to the door.

Black spots appeared before his eyes and his legs were collapsing beneath him. He knew the weight behind him was the only thing holding him upright.

_**No.1's **_voice hissed into his left ear. "You don't learn do you, I'm gonna give you my own kind of sedative."

Out of the corner of his left eye through the ever increasing amount of black spots he saw a giant fist descending towards his face.

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_**Early Saturday Evening at Dr Franklin's Home, Athens**_

Dr Franklin slammed the phone back into the cradle.

He thought the shock therapy would be the answer to the young man's mental health. But after the phone call he had received from Matron Reed to tell him she was terribly sorry to telephone him at home, but she had come on duty to find that the patient in room 6 had tried to escape for a second time.

That's when he made his decision to take a more drastic measure to help the young man and perform a procedure that now seemed to be the only solution to the young man's psychotic tendencies.

He would have to perform a lobotomy on him. _I can't put it off until tomorrow. Tonight. Yes I'll do it tonight after the surgeon's ball._

Matron Reed was on duty all night, she could assist him.

With his decision made he went upstairs to dress for the ball.

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_**Early Saturday Evening at the Ohio University Inn**_

Tonight was the night, he was bringing his brother back through that door in time. He was ready, ready to fight for his brother's life if he needed to. Dean would do the same for him and had numerous times.

Bobby had phoned earlier. He was still apologizing for not being there with Sam to help get Dean back. "Sorry Sam, I'd rather be there with you but this hunt is a bitch and it's taking much longer than I had hoped."

"I know you would Bobby, but I got it covered." Sam said

"Jeez Sam you sounded just like your brother then."

"Well I guess he's kinda' rubbed off on me."

"Yeah he sorta' grows on you, like a wart."

"I know what you mean." A pause "I miss him Bobby."

"I know you do. Listen Sam you be careful and remember you gotta be quick, get in, get Dean and get out again, and no weapons they won't go through. You got it?"

"Yeah Bobby I got it."

"And call me when you got him, I don't care what time it is."

"Will do Bobby, thanks."

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_**Saturday Evening at the Asylum**_

Sam waited sitting with his back against the wall facing into the corridor of _**cells.**_ His flashlight illuminating patches of light in the old asylum.

His position on the floor was not more than a yard fromwhere he had found Dean's gun, ring and amulet.

This had to be the best place to sit, close to where he figured Dean had passed through the door.

The **EMF** meter didn't register any spirits in the place. That was good news at least he wouldn't have to contend with an angry spirit.

_How will I know when the door is open?_

"There has to be something, some kind of sign." He said to himself. His voice echoing eerily back to him in the empty corridor.

Sam leaned his head back against the wall. Waiting for the sign.

**TBC**

**Will Sam be in time to save his big bro?**

**Please read and review. Ta**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_**Sunday Evening at the Asylum**_

Using his flashlight Sam looked at his watch, five minutes to midnight.

_What if it doesn't open,_ _what will I do then? _A knot of anxiety was forming in his stomach.

_Don't be ridiculous Sam, of course it's gonna open, the time is right._

It was then he felt it; a drop in the temperature.

Sam stood up and looked into the gloom of the corridor. Apart from the temperature change something else was different.

The air in front of him looked like it was moving, shimmering and shifting like liquid metal.

This must be it, the door. It's open.

"I'm coming bro." he said as he stepped into the nineteen sixties.

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On Dr. Franklin's signal Matron Reed pushed the lever back up.

The patient from room 6 was again unconscious and convulsing, as he had been three days earlier after his first shock therapy treatment.

Tonight he would not be taken back to his room. Not until Dr. Franklin had performed a Trans-Orbital Lobotomy on this recalcitrant patient.

The matron thought that the doctor could have waited until tomorrow morning to do this procedure.

But Dr. Franklin had insisted on doing it tonight coming straight from the surgeon's ball, still in his dinner suit.

This patient had been nothing but trouble. With two attempts at escaping the asylum, upsetting her staff, especially the orderly Stan, who the patient had knocked senseless with the aid of a chamber pot.

She knew after the procedure the patient would cause them no more problems. If he survived the procedure that was.

She had seen Dr. Franklin perform this procedure numerous times before, unfortunately a considerable number of the patients died shortly afterwards.

Dr. Franklin was ready to proceed now that young man had stopped convulsing.

He removed the electrodes and the mouth guard and lifted the patient's eyelid to make sure he was unconscious.

"He's out. It's time to begin."

The doctor rolled back the patient's right eyelid and used the metal eye clamp to keep it open.

The matron passed him the Leucotome, an instrument that resembled an ice pick.

The doctor pushed the instrument into the tear duct, then with a mallet he gently tapped it in around the edge of the eyeball into the brain.

The final part of the procedure was to saw the instrument back and forth to sever the neural receptors. The process basically disconnecting one side of the brain from the other.

The doctor had his hand on the ice pick ready to start when a loud deep voice interrupted him.

"**GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER."**

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Sam knew he had no time to waste; he went straight to the only open door in the corridor.

The room was empty except for a cot.

_Dean was in here I can feel it, where is he now?_

A feeling that Dean was in immediate danger carried Sam's long legs from the empty room and into the corridor with the treatment rooms. There were four doors one was open the second on the left.

_Dean's in there._

He ran towards it and skidded to a stop in the doorway.

_Oh god I'm too late, they've done it._

Dean clad only in hospital pyjamas his feet bare was lying unmoving strapped down on an operating table.

From his position in the doorway, Sam could see some kind of shiny metal object attached to Dean's right eye and it looked like there was something also metal and shiny protruding from the eyeball.

A middle aged man wearing a shirt with the sleeves rolled up over his elbows and a bow tie was leaning over his brother with one hand reaching towards the metal thing poking from Dean's eye.

In his best John Winchester voice Sam said. "**GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER."**

The man looked up at the interruption with a surprised expression on his face.

"Who are you?" He said.

A short rather matronly woman stepped towards Sam.

Sam was so intent on the man hovering over the still body of his brother; he hadn't even noticed her until she spoke. "How did you get in here?"

Stepping into the room Sam gave her a cold hard stare that said "_don't mess with me,"_ and she shrank back against a table laden with surgical instruments.

Sam looked back to the man, his voice low and menacing. "**I said… get… away… from… my… brother.**"

"But I haven't finished the procedure."

"Oh yeah you have, you're **not **gonna touch him again. **"Move away from the table… Now."**

The man hastily pulled his hand away from Dean and stepped back beside the woman.

Sam moved to his brother's side.

"Oh god Dean." Sam said when he saw what they had done to him.

Dean had obviously been shocked into unconsciousness again. There were two distinct marks, burn marks, where the electrodes had been on his temples.

His right eye was clamped wide open with a metal clamp and there was another metal instrument that looked like an ice pick protruding from the inner corner of Dean's eye.

His face was drawn and thinner than when Sam had last seen him. He had dark circles under his eyes and across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose the freckles that Dean hated so much but the women loved, was a stark contrast to the paleness of his skin.

Sam pressed two fingers to Dean's throat and was relieved to feel the thrum of his pulse under his finger tips.

As gently as he could Sam pulled the ice pick from Dean's eye. It came out with a stomach churning pop. Then he removed the metal clamp that was keeping Dean's eye open.

After undoing the straps he gently tapped Dean's cheek. "Dean it's me Sam, come on wake up so we can get out of here."

Dean didn't stir.

"I'm getting you out of here now."

Taking Dean's arms he pulled him into a sitting position. Dean's head flopped down onto his chest.

Sam hoisted Dean up and over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Sam gave the pair still standing against the table one final look of hatred and went into the corridor, preying that the time door was still open.

He had no idea how long he had been in the time warp, it felt like hours but, in fact was only probably a few minutes.

As he carried Dean into the cell corridor everything around them seemed to go dark. Sam stopped and glanced around him to see the cause of the sudden darkness.

They were back in 2007. The asylum was as it was when they had first seen it.

"We made it Dean, we're back, thank god." Sam said to the still unresponsive Dean over his shoulder.

Adjusting Dean's weight a little Sam continued on to the stairs.

He slowly and carefully made his way down and through the ruins of the ground floor and out into the cool night air.

Sam trotted at a steady pace towards the waiting Impala.

A line from an old Holly's song came to mind. _He aint heavy he's my brother._

Wherever Dean's body touched Sam's he felt the ice cold chill of Dean's skin. _He's so cold._

Finally reaching the car, Sam threw open the passenger side door and gently lay Dean against the seat, his head resting along the top.

He found a blanket on the back seat that Dean had stolen from a motel in Idaho a couple of months back.

As Sam tucked the blanket around Dean's frozen body and feet he remembered Dean saying to him at the time. "Arr Sammy they won't miss it."

Sam rushed to the driver's side, got in. Turned the key in the ignition the hearing the familiar grumble of Dean's baby as she sprang to life.

With a spray of loose gravel spewing from behind her, Sam guided the Impala out of the asylum grounds, onto the road and towards the hospital.

**TBC**

**So Sam has rescued Dean, but was he too late?**

**Please read and review**

**Thanks again to my beta's Loco and Ms Okie Dokie.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_**Sunday Morning at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Fifteen minutes later Sam pulled the Impala into the ambulance bay of the hospital, he glanced at the sign saying: - **AMBULANCES ONLY - STRICTLY NO PARKING**

Sam looked across at Dean, he was showing no signs of waking. During the ride to the hospital his head had slid sideways and was now resting against the window.

_Well at the moment I am an ambulance,_ Sam thought as he opened the door and rounded the Impala. He opened the passenger side door gently lifting Dean's head back against the seat.

"I'm going to get someone to help." He said to Dean even though he knew he couldn't hear him, "I'll be back soon."

Sam ran through the doors and seeing someone in the typical green uniform of hospital staff, with her back to him, he rushed up to her and grabbed her arm swinging her around to face him at the same time saying. "My brother needs help, please he's unconscious."

The nurse at first looked a little startled when he had swung her around by the arm, but when she heard his words; she looked up at his 6'4 inch height towering over her meager 5'1 and said. "Where is he?"

"He's in the car." He started to pull her towards the ambulance bay.

She let him lead her rather speedily through the doors, to the open door of the Impala.

She leaned in and looked at Dean, giving him a brief examination while still addressing Sam. "How long has he been like this?"

Sam was standing right behind her, leaning in over her shoulder. "I don't know he was like that when I found him." Sam said. It wasn't a lie.

Sam moved back a step as she straightened and turned to him, saying. "We have to get him inside so a doctor can examine him, I'll be back in a minute."

The next second Sam was alone as she disappeared back through the ER doors, only to appear again within a minute as she had assured him, with an orderly in tow pushing a gurney.

The orderly transferred Dean from the car to the gurney and pushed it back into the ER with Sam and the nurse closely following.

Sam had tried to follow Dean into the exam room, but the young petite nurse had taken Sam's arm in a firm grip much the same as he had done to her and led him to the waiting area. Telling him he had to wait here whilst they examined his brother and could he please fill out some paperwork and would he please move his car out of the ambulance bay.

"It's my brother's car." He stated to pretty redhead.

She seemed unimpressed with his statement.

Sam did as she asked. First moving Dean's car into the car park, and then filling in the appropriate paperwork, pushing his worry for Dean aside as he tried to remember all the details of their current aliases.

Then he waited.

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Fifteen minutes later found Sam sitting on the edge of a hard chair in the waiting area. His leg bobbing up and down at a furious pace, every few seconds he threw an anxious glance at the doors of exam room 3. A couple of times the door swung open, people came and went but no one said anything to him.

_Why doesn't someone tell me what's happening._

Then Sam remembered Bobby. _"And call me when you got him, I don't care what time it is."_ Bobby had told him.

Bobby picked up on the first ring. "Sam, did you get him?" Bobby said

"Yeah I got him but they did things to him Bobby."

"What do you mean, what sort of things?"

"They screwed with his brain, gave him shock treatment and…"

"And what Sam, what else?"

"I think they gave him a lobotomy."

"**WHAT,** are you sure?"

"When I found him he was unconscious, with an ice pick in his eye…Bobby it was horrible."

"Where are you now?"

"At Athens memorial."

"What did the doctor say?"

"No one has said anything, their still examining him."

"Call me back when you've talked to the doctor, as soon as you know anything."

"Will do Bobby."

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Ten minutes later the doors of exam 3 opened. A doctor with a shock of silver hair sticking up at odd angles emerged scribbling on a chart.

Sam was on his feet before the doors swung closed behind him.

The young nurse spoke briefly to the doctor and then pointed Sam out to him. The doctor came towards Sam still carrying the chart.

Sam was afraid the doctor was going to tell him Dean was irreversibly brain damaged. A vegetable. But he had to know.

"I'm Dr. Davidson and you're Sam Vincent? Dean's your brother?" The doctor asked holding out his hand to Sam.

Sam took the proffered hand "Dr. Davidson, how's my brother?"

"He still hasn't regained consciousness; he is severely dehydrated and has a head trauma, a brain injury. Has he received a blow to his head in the last twenty four hours?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. You see doctor he's been missing for the last week. I found him a couple of hours ago like that, unconscious."_ That's all true, no lies._

"From the marks we found on his temples he's been given electro shock therapy and, it appears someone has tried to perform a lobotomy on him."

"Tried, so he's okay then?"

"It's too soon to tell we have to wait for him to regain consciousness to see if there's any damage to his brain. There's also a risk he may develop a Subdural Haematoma, a blood clot on the brain.

We'll know more after a CT scan, we're taking him to radiology shortly."

"Can I see him?"

"Only for a minute."

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The hospital staff had removed the pyjamas Sam had found Dean in at the asylum. He now wore a hospital gown and a light blanket was drawn up to his waist. He had a IV in his arm to replace his lost fluids, a nasal oxygen canula in place.

Sam's eyes welled up with tears as he looked down at his big brother. Dean looked so young and defenseless, lying there so still and pale, his right eye was covered with a bandage. The eyelashes of his uncovered eye made a long sooty semicircle against the dark circles under his eyes which looked almost black in the harsh light of the room and something else Sam hadn't noticed before a fading bruise around Dean's left eye.

Moving to the left side of the bed, Sam gently rubbed his hand back and forth along Dean's forearm.

"Hey man it's me, Sammy. You gonna lie there all day? You lazy good for nothing, come on Dean open your eyes, please I gotta know you're alright, that I got you out in time. Dean come on bro wake up."

The silence was broken only by the hiss of the oxygen.

Sam squeezed Dean's cold hand and tried again. "Dean, I want you to wake up and say you're hungry for a cheese burger and fries. There's a pretty little nurse here, dude she's just your type, a red head."

Before Sam could say more an orderly came to take Dean to have his CT scan.

Two minutes later Sam was again sitting on the hard chair in the waiting room.

_All this waiting is driving me nuts, I'll phone Bobby again, let him know what's going on."_

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_**Sunday Afternoon at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Dean could hear voices. He tried really hard to hear what they were saying. _Please don't let it be Dr. Frankenstein and his bitch of a sidekick._

The voices were getting clearer, now he could hear their conversation.

"The CT showed no sign of a haematoma. However he could still develop one in the next few days, so we've started him on Dilantin as a preventative measure. We're keeping him on the fluids as he's still very dehydrated. When he regains consciousness we'll access his cognitive function, reflexes and movement using some simple tests.

_Don't know that voice, It's not Dr. Frankenstein._

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now doctor?"

_Hey that's Sammy._ Dean tried to open his eyes but couldn't. _No can't do it, eyelids too heavy._

"It doesn't mean he won't, sometimes the brain shuts itself down to help itself recover, don't worry, I'm sure he'll wake soon. I'm going to admit him for a few days for observation. Someone will be along shortly to transfer him upstairs to a room.

"Thanks Dr. Davidson."

_Yep that's definitely Sam, thank god he's okay. So tired._

"Keep talking to him, sometimes it helps."

_Dowwannatalk, wanna sleep._

Dean let himself drop back into that quiet, safe place.

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Someone was squeezing his hand, squeezing so hard it hurt like a bitch. "Dean, come on bro it's time you woke up, open your eyes."

_Sammy again, he's not gonna let me sleep and he's gonna break my hand in a minute._

Through cracked dry lips Dean managed to crock "Okay Sammy, I'm awake."

Dean heard the scrape of a chair and then Sam said from close above his face. "Dean?" It was a question.

With a huge effort Dean opened his eyes and tried to bring them into focus on his brother's worried face close above him.

"In the flesh." He croaked. Then added "Dude my hand."

"Oh, sorry." Sam said as he loosened his grip but didn't let go of Dean's hand.

Taking in Sam's tired face and puffy eyes Dean asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah I'm good, now. You?"

"I'm fine, tired." Giving his stock standard answer as his eyes drifted shut.

"No, no, no, Dean you gotta stay awake."

"Can't… tired."

"Dean try to stay awake, I'm getting the doctor."

"Too… sleepy."

The next thing Dean knew was someone shining a bright light into his eye and saying. "Dean, can you hear me? I'm Dr. Davidson."

"Hey stop that… hurts." Dean said swatting at the hand holding the light.

Dean looked up at the face attached to the arm holding the light.

"Hello Dean it's good to see you're awake, follow my finger." He said

Dean did as he asked following the finger from left to right, when the finger went to the right it disappeared from view.

"Can't see it now… gone."

"That's because your right eye is covered."

Dean lifted a shaking hand towards the eye, feeling the pull of an IV in the back of his hand.

Before he touched the bandage the doctor gently pushed Dean's hand back down.

"I'm going to test your reflexes."

"Leave me alone… wanna go to sleep."

"Dean let Dr. Davidson do his job than you can sleep." Sam said

"Now who's bossy?" Dean answered.

Dr Davidson lifted the back of the bed to almost a sitting position.

Dean let the doctor check his reflexes and movement without further comment except when the doctor asked him a question, can you feel that, repeat this, move that.

When he had finished Dean asked "Did I pass doc?"

Dr Davidson smiled and said. "I think I'll give you a pass."

Dean felt a sudden wave of nausea hit him, he swallowed hard trying to push it down.

"Dean you alright?" Sam asked as Dean's face turned a little green.

"Gonna be… sick.' Dean gasped

The doctor pushed a plastic bowl under Dean's chin as he retched into it.

There was nothing to bring up, except a bit of bile and mucous.

When it was over Dean lay his head back against the pillow, he was trembling and even more pale than before.

Sam leant over Dean smoothing his short hair back from his forehead.

"Better now?" he said

Dean nodded, which was a mistake as the room tilted precariously, his stomach again threatening a revolt. After a few seconds the room righted itself and his stomach settled.

Dr. Davidson said "Nausea and vomiting are to be expected after a head injury. I'll organize the nurse to give you something for nausea in the IV that should help."

The doctor lowered the head of the bed so Dean was halfway between sitting and lying. "I'll let you rest now, try not to move your head to much."

"Thanks doc." Sam said, as the doctor left.

Sam went into the bathroom and came back with a damp face washer.

Dean went back to sleep with Sam gently smoothing it over his face.

_Thanks Sammy._ Dean thought it but couldn't get his mouth to say the words.

**TBC**

**Sorry for the delay with this chapter, but my beta - Loco aka Ms Okie Dokie is in hospital following surgery and was unavailable for a few days.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer :** See Chapter 1

**Chapter 12**

_**Monday morning at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Sam arrived at the nurse's station on level four, refreshed and rested after the best night's sleep he'd had in over a week.

It was the sleep of contentment now he had his brother back.

An older nurse with a kindly face told him. "Dr. Woodruff would like to speak with you before you go in to see Dean."

"Dr. Woodruff, where's Dr. Davidson isn't he here?"

"Dr. Davidson is an ER doctor, Dr. Woodruff is the head doctor on level 4, take a seat I'll tell him you're here."

Sam waited on yet another uncomfortable chair, five minutes later a man approached him and introduced himself as Dr. Woodruff.

Sam stood up towering over the man.

Sam couldn't put his finger on why he took an instant dislike to him.

He was short in his mid to late forties. A nondescript man with dirty blonde hair and pale eyes. _He's got short person syndrome._

Dr Woodruff looked up at Sam's lofty height and said. "I'm your brother's doctor, no sign yet of a subdural haematoma, another CT scan is organized for this afternoon, do you have any questions?"

"Umm no can I see him now?"

He nodded a curt yes, and then said. "Because of the circumstances of your brother's injury I've informed the police, they will be here later today to interview him."

Sam was a good actor he said. "That's good; hopefully they can discover who is responsible."

With another curt nod, Dr. Woodruff walked away.

_Fat chance, they've been dead for years._

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Dean awoke to find Sam standing beside the bed.

A wave of dizziness hit him.

Sam must have seen the sign of sickness; he picked up the plastic bowl from the bed tray.

"It's okay Sam I'm not gonna hurl, just dizzy. It's passing."

"You sure?"

"I'm good now."

"Yeah, coz dude you look like crap."

"Yeah well so did you last time I saw you."

"I see your back to yourself."

"You know me Sammy, I always bounce back."

Sam smiled and pulled up a chair beside the bed. "We've got a problem."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Dr Woodruff called the police."

"So you met the charming doctor?"

"Yeah he's a real sweetheart." Dean smiled and Sam continued, "What are we gonna tell the cops?"

"Tell em' the truth, well part of it."

"Which part?"

Dean outlined a story for the cops, although it was a little farfetched, Sam thought they'd probably buy it.

They both knew their Id's and all their details were rock solid and couldn't be traced back to the Winchester brothers.

When the final points of their mostly true story were in place, Dean looked at Sam and said. "So you figured out about the time thing then?"

Sam was surprised by the change in conversation. But Dean obviously wanted to talk about it. Sam thought this was a good thing.

"Yeah with Bobby's help, he told me about these doors in time that sometimes open up."

"Good old Bobby, what would we do without him?"

"You'd be dead."

Dean nodded.

"The worst thing was I had to wait a week before the door opened again but I went every night just in case. Bobby said that when it did open, it would only be for a few minutes. When I found you they were in the process of giving you a… lobotomy." The terrifying moment he had found Dean and thinking he was too late still clear in Sam's memory.

"I don't remember that. Is that why I've got this?" Dean touched the bandage over his eye.

Sam nodded "You were unconscious, from the shock treatment. When I found you there was an ice pick in your eye."

"I remember the shock therapy part."

"Me too."

"What, what do you mean?"

"I felt the ice cold, the shock therapy. Some how I was connected to what you were feeling."

"Oh, I get it. It's that whole psychic thing you got goin'."

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's humor, as usual at his expense.

Dean could remember those and other things. Every horror filled minute of the torment he had suffered at the hands of the doctor the matron and the huge orderlies. Being strapped down injected with drugs. The hunger and the thirst. The blood in his veins turning to ice in the freezing cold of the tub. The agony of the electricity running through his weakened body, not once but twice, the second time thankfully Sam had found him before they were able to complete their task of making him better.

Dean came back to the present, he looked into Sam's eyes and said "Thanks Sammy I owe you one."

"No you don't, for a change I was able to save your ass."

"Let's call it even. Bitch."

"Jerk."

Dean smiled, the love for his brother evident in his uncovered eye.

'_I love you bro.' _Although the words weren't spoken, they knew.

Sam smiled back at Dean. "Yeah, me too."

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_**Monday Afternoon at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

The brothers had been interviewed by the police that afternoon.

The cops readily accepted their story, with only a few queries.

They had told Dean he was lucky he hadn't ended up dead like the others who had disappeared from the asylum, and then they left.

After the door closed behind the officers, Dean said "That was easier than I thought it would be."

"Yeah, what a relief." Sam said from the chair beside Dean's bed.

"Sam you know this isn't over?"

"What do mean? I've got you back your okay, it's over."

"No it's not, Sam, we have to find a way to close that door permanently, before someone else is at the wrong place at the wrong time, or is that in the wrong place in the wrong time?"

"Yeah you're right, I'll talk to Bobby, maybe he's got some ideas on how to close it permanently.

The door opened to an orderly. "It's time to go for your CT scan, Mr. Vincent"

"I'm all yours." Dean said with a smile.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Dean returned from his CT scan, Sam told him about his latest conversation with Bobby.

"So Bobby thinks fire will close the door?" Dean asked

"He said he thinks it should close the door permanently."

"Should?"

"Yeah."

"So we gotta burn the building down?"

"Yeah I guess."

"Makes sense no building no door in time."

"I'll do it tonight."

"Not without me your not."

"Oh no, you're staying here."

"Arr come on Sam, I'm fine, I want outta here."

"We'll let Dr. Woodruff settle this."

"Oh Saaaaam."

"Dude, what are you six?"

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After Dean's second CT scan showed no signs a haematoma, Dean insisted he was well enough to be discharged.

Dr. Woodruff huffed and puffed when Dean said as much. "You can't be too careful with head injuries you could still develop a haematoma, I would like you to stay for a couple more days to be sure."

"Look doc I feel fine, no headaches, no more nausea or vomiting, I've got Sam, and if anything happens I'll come back, I promise."

Dr Woodruff's pale eyes looked from Dean to Sam and back to Dean. "It's against my better judgment, but alright I'll organize the paperwork and a prescription for some antibiotic drops for that eye."

After the doctor left Sam looked hard at Dean.

Dean felt Sam's eyes on him and without looking at Sam said "You got a problem Sam?"

"Yeah you. Are you sure you should be discharging yourself so soon?"

Glancing at Sam, Dean answered. "I'm fine Sam."

The bandage over Dean's eye had been removed, the eye was bloodshot and his face still pale.

Sam stared at him at so long Dean started to squirm and fidget under his scrutiny, pulling at the edge of the sheet. "I don't know about that, you still don't look great."

"I can rest up just as well in the motel as here Sam." Dean said trying to imitate Sam's puppy dog look.

Sam sighed. "Alright, but if things change I'm bringing you straight back here, understood?"

Dean smiled and said. "See I said you were the bossy one."

"Alright but we're not going to the asylum tonight."

"Why not?" Dean's smile was gone.

"Because I'm taking you straight to the motel and your gonna stay there in bed for the next twenty four hours, and that's the end of it."

"Arr come on Sam."

"I'll go tell Dr. Woodruff you'll be staying then." Sam said turning towards the door.

Dean reached out and grasped Sam's sleeve, preventing him from moving any further.

"Alright alright, you win, we'll go back to the motel."

Sam turned back to Dean with a smile as wide as a split watermelon. "I knew you'd see reason."

"This is blackmail." Dean said with a sour look on his face, and then added "Did you bring me any clothes?"

"No, I didn't think you'd need any this soon."

"What the hell am I gonna put on?"

Sam opened the draw of the bedside table, taking out the neatly folded white pyjamas from the asylum and held them out to Dean. "Guess you'll have to wear these."

If looks could kill Sam would have been six feet under.

**TBC**

**Because the brothers have been separated for much of the story until now, I included lots of brotherly banter in this chapter. I hope it's OK.**

**This story is not over. There are still a few more chapters in it, so please stick with me.**

**Please read and review and let me know what you think.**

**Silvertayl**


	13. Chapter 13

**I appreciate all the reviews and thanks to all who are reading and hopefully enjoying my first attempt at fan fiction.**

**Special thanks to Ms Okie Dokie aka Loco for bettaing (is that a word) this story, without her it would read like total rubbish.**

**Chapter 13**

_**Tuesday Afternoon at the University Inn, Athens Ohio**_

When Sam came back from picking up supplies. He took the two empty cans they always carried with them, from the back of the Impala and making sure no one was watching siphoned gas from the tank. There could be no way then of tracing the asylum fire back to them because the gas hadn't been bought from a gas station.

Dean wasn't in the room when he carried the now full cans into the room. Sam felt a moment of panic. _Where is he, he can't have gone missing again._

Seeing the bathroom door was shut Sam said aloud. "Dean you in there?"

Dean's voice floated to him through the bathroom door. "Yeah, I'll be out in a minute, just taking a leak."

Sam was worried about Dean.

To Sam he seemed drowsy and confused. Earlier Dean had asked him. "Why are we still here?"

"We're gonna close that door tonight, don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah of course, sorry I'm a bit wiped out, that's what lying around in a hospital will do to you."

"I knew this was a mistake, I'm taking you back."

"Oh no, I'm not goin' back, I'm fine. Besides we've got work to do. You go and get the supplies I'm gonna take a shower."

Sam watched as Dean went into the bathroom and closed the door.

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Dean had just vomited up his lunch followed closely by his breakfast, when he heard Sam call to him through the bathroom door. "Dean you in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute, just taking a leak." He said.

He sat on the bathroom floor with his back against the bath taking in deep breaths and waiting for the sudden onset of double vision the clear._ Now I can't see straight, what next?_

Today he had been feeling drowsy and his memory was a bit off. _Maybe I should have stayed at the hospital._

This morning he'd asked Sam why they were still here. "We're gonna close that door tonight, don't you remember?"

He'd made an excuse that sounded lame even to him.

Sam had looked worriedly at him and said. "I knew this was a mistake, I'm taking you back."

"Oh no, I'm not goin' back, I'm fine. Besides we've got work to do. You go and get the supplies I'm gonna' take a shower."

That was nearly an hour ago. In the meantime Dean had showered and dressed in clean clothes. He had just pulled on his boots when the nausea hit causing him to rush into the bathroom and empty the contents of his stomach into the toilet.

Another wave of nausea hit him and a drum solo was beating in his head and behind his eyes.

After the nausea receded he waited for another minute before he hauled himself up. Knowing if he stayed there to long Sam would bust down the door.

He flushed the toilet and rinsed his face and mouth under the faucet.

Drying his face on a soft towel he looked in the mirror. _Can't let Sammy see I'm sick, he'll make me go back to the hospital._

He lightly slapped his cheeks to bring some color into his face, took a deep breath and trying to ignore the throbbing in his head he opened the door, walking the few steps to the bed.

"Did you get everything we need?" He said as he sat down on the bed.

"Uh huh, you okay man? You look a little… strange."

"Will you stop asking me if I'm okay, I'm okay!"

"You know what Dr. Woodruff said, you could still develop a clot."

"Look Sam when we've finished this, I'll go back to the hospital and let em' check me again. Deal?"

"Deal."

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_**Tuesday Evening at the Asylum**_

The double vision that had come on earlier was now almost constant and the drowsiness was dragging on his senses and his limbs, but Dean knew if he had told Sam too drive to the asylum, Sam would know he was in trouble, and insist on taking him back to the hospital.

Dean had to be there with Sam when they torched the asylum. It was the least he could do as payback for the innocent victims of that god damned door in time and also for himself and what he had endured for a week in another era.

The drum solo in Dean's head was now accompanied by a brass band, making it hard to think clearly.

Dean heaved a sigh of relief when he pulled the Impala up outside the fence surrounding the asylum. _We made in one piece._

As he got out his knees buckled under him, almost sending him to the ground. He clutched at the door so he didn't end up face first in the dirt. _Hope Sam didn't see that. _He looked over to where Sam was already behind the car with his head in the trunk gathering the gas cans and other supplies they would need.

Dean moved around to the trunk using the side of the car for support.

Sam handed him one of the cans a flash light, a book of matches and the bolt cutters saying. "We'll need these; I think they've put a new lock on."

Dean took all of the items in his now shaking hands. _Hope Sammy doesn't see my hands are shaking._

Thankfully Sam wasn't looking at him, he was checking his flash light to make sure the batteries were good.

Dean tried to control the sudden trembling in his body and slowly moved to the fence. _God this can is heavy, why does it seem so heavy?_

After Dean had cut the lock trying to hide the shaking of his hands from Sam, they moved into the asylum, Dean letting Sam lead the way up the stairs.

Sam reached the top and turned back to Dean. Dean wasn't there. _I thought he was right behind me._

Sam shone his flash light down the stairs to see what was keeping him.

Dean was about half way up holding onto the metal railing with one hand and balancing the flash light and the gas can in the other hand as he slowly climbed to the next step.

"Come on dude get the lead out." Sam said.

"Get that light out my face, I'm coming." Dean said irritably lifting his hand from the railing to shield his eyes.

Sam shone the light down onto the top step and waited for Dean to catch up. _Something's not right with him, after this is done, we're going back to the hospital. _

Dean could see two Sam's looking worriedly at him as he finally planted his feet at the top of the stairs and leaned against the wall.

"What?" Dean said.

"I'm taking you back to the hospital after this is over."

"Whatever, let's just get it done." Dean said irritably. _Damn it he's on to me._ He pushed himself away from the wall and moved down the corridor.

Sam sprinkled the gas along the treatment corridor and into the treatment rooms.

Dean did the same in the nurse's station and the _**cells**_, his movements becoming more uncoordinated with each passing minute.

He made sure he splashed extra into_** room**_ 6.

Together they finished with the _**cell **_corridor using all the gas they had left.

"You can do the honors." Sam said glancing at Dean in the dim light of the corridor, then moving back a couple of paces.

Dean took the match book from his pocket, pulled off a match and struck it, the small light from the match illuminating his pale face for a second before he threw the match down and stood back next to Sam.

The fire roared to life, ribbons of flame snaking hurriedly away down the corridor, seeking out the trail of gas where ever it went, sneaking through the doorways, along the counter of the nurse's station, around the corner into the second corridor.

Within thirty seconds the whole place was roaring with flame.

Sam and Dean stood silently watching the fire, the heat from of the flames warming their faces.

"That should do it." Dean said. He looked at Sam and saw two Sam's all fuzzy around the edges, in the glow from the flames.

"I think so." Sam said returning Dean's glance.

"Let's get outta' here before we're extra crispy."

"Good idea."

Picking up the empty gas cans, they made their back down the stairs.

Dean was growing weaker with every step he took, his limbs now so weak he could barely coordinate his hold on the railing, with putting one foot in front of the other as he tried to descend the stairs.

Eventually he reached the entrance and followed Sam out into the moonlit night.

Sam was already at the car looking back at the flames now broaching the roof and shooting toward the heavens.

Dean was a few paces from the car when his legs finally gave out, he went down hard on his knees in the dirt dropping the empty can and the flashlight from his suddenly lax hands. His headache now pounding in time with the beat of his heart. Darkness was closing in on his vision as he saw Sam start towards him with a cry of **"DEAN."**

"Sam… help…m." Dean whispered as he fell onto his back, his eyes rolled up into head, his body now in the grip of a violent seizure.

**TBC**

**See I told you it's not over. My first cliff hanger. Yay.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, they are much appreciated. Here's the next chapter.**

**Chapter 14**

_**Tuesday Evening at the Asylum**_

Sam retrieved the bolt cutters lying next to the open gate by the fence and put them, his empty can and the flash light into the trunk and was standing beside the car watching the flames now coming from the roof of the asylum leap skywards.

He looked from the flames to Dean who had stopped six feet from him and the car.

When Sam saw Dean go down on his knees; dropping the can and flash light from his hands to land beside him, he knew Dean was in trouble.

Sam felt the world had gone into 33 1/3 RPM as he started towards his brother with a cry of **"DEAN." **

He had only taken two steps forward when in front of his horrified eyes; Sam saw Dean's mouth moving, saying something that Sam couldn't hear a moment before Dean collapsed onto his back in the dirt.

When Sam reached Dean's side, after what seemed to Sam to take forever, the world returning to its regular speed. Dean was seizing uncontrollably, his head was thrown back his body stiff and jerking, his hands and jaw clenched; his eyes were half open with only the whites visible.

"Oh god Dean, I should have realized." Sam said breathlessly.

Taking off his jacket Sam pried Dean's jaw apart and jammed the sleeve of the jacket between Dean's teeth to prevent him from biting off his tongue in the throws of the seizure. Sam then wadded up the rest of the jacket and moved it around so it was under Dean's head to help cushion his head from the constant banging against the hard ground.

Sam lay his hands on Dean's shoulders just so he had some sort of contact with his brother, feeling Dean's body jumping and jerking under his hands.

As Sam watched Dean helplessly, Dr. Woodruff's departing words to Sam of the warning signs to watch for that would indicate a blood clot on the brain were ringing in his ears._**"Confusion, drowsiness, lapses in memory, headache, nausea, vomiting and the worst of all seizures." **_

Dean had been showing some of the signs all day. _That's why he was in the bathroom for so long earlier, how could I have been stupid enough to not see what was goin' on with him._

After what seemed to Sam like a life time, but was only three or four minutes, Dean's body gradually stopped jerking and relaxed against the ground - the seizure was over. Dean's face and jaw had gone slack, his eyes still glazed and half open showing no recognition that he knew Sam was there beside him.

Sam gently laid his hands on each side of Dean's face. "Dean, man you hear me?" Dean showed no reaction to Sam's quiet voice.

Sam removed the jacket from under Dean's head and pulled the sleeve out from between his teeth, there was no blood on the sleeve, so Sam knew Dean at had not bitten his tongue. Sam took the jacket and the things Dean had dropped when he'd started fitting and ran back to the Impala opened the back door closest to where Dean was lying and threw the jacket on the floor. The other things he threw in the trunk and slammed it shut, and then raced back to Dean who was still lying as Sam had left him.

"Dean, you with me bro?" Dean did not respond to Sam's gentle voice or his hand stroking his hair back from his clammy forehead. The whites of his eyes clearly visible through the slits of his eyes.

From on his knees beside Dean, Sam pulled Dean into a sitting position and slid one arm into the hollow of his neck and the other hand under Dean's knees. Sam took a deep breath and as he exhaled he stood, lifting Dean in his arms.

Dean was not as tall as Sam but he was all muscle and heavy, but Sam didn't notice the weight as the adrenaline pumping through his body gave him the strength to lift his stricken brother easily and carry him with ease the short distance to the car. Sam lay Dean's head, shoulders and torso on the seat, his legs still outside the car, booted feet resting on the ground. Sam then went around to the other side, opened the door nearly ripping it off the hinges in his haste and leaning in through the open door he grasped Dean under the armpits, gently pulling him backwards until his whole body was on the seat and in the car. Sam reached down for the jacket on the floor and pushed the sleeve back into Dean's mouth, in case he fitted again on the way to the hospital. Slamming both back doors he slid in behind the wheel, turned the key and with a feeling of deja vu guided the Impala out of the asylum grounds onto the road and towards the hospital.

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_**Tuesday Evening at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Dean had seized again on the way to the hospital. Sam had risked a quick anxious glance over his shoulder at Dean but had kept driving. _The best way I can help him at the moment is to keep driving._

Sam again had parked in the ambulance bay. He opened the back door and pulled Dean into his arms and lifted him out of the car and carried him into the ER. Sam's eyes scanning the place for someone anyone to help him. Sam moved forward down the deserted corridor saying loudly, "Someone help me please, my brother's having seizures."

The pretty redheaded nurse appeared from one of the rooms and moved towards him. When she saw Sam was carrying his brother she motioned Sam towards one of the treatment rooms, saying "Bring him in here," then added in a loud firm voice. "Dr. Davidson I need you in exam 1 stat."

She quickly moved to the door and held it open for Sam as he moved past her and gently laid Dean on the bed.

Sam straightened and moved back from the bed as the doctor moved to Dean's side. "What happened?" Dr. Davidson asked.

"He's had two seizures."

"How long ago?" The doctor asked as he was examining Dean.

"The first was about thirty minutes ago, the second about ten minutes ago in the car."

"How long did they last?"

"Ah, about three or four minutes."

"Has he been conscious or said anything since either?"

"No he hasn't."

The redhead was taking Dean's vitals and relaying them to the doctor, in between the doctor firing questions at Sam.

He lifted Dean's eyelids and shone a light into each eye, saying as he did "Dean. Can you hear me?"

Sam felt a hand on his arm and turned to see the redhead had moved away from the bed and was standing beside him; she smiled sadly at him and said. "You'll' have to wait outside, I'm sorry."

Sam stole a glance at Dean but could see only his boots and the bottom of his jeans, as Dr. Davidson leaned over Dean blocking the rest of him from Sam's sight.

Sam looked back at the redhead and said "Please, he's all I've got."

"We'll take care of him for you, please wait outside and the doctor will come and speak with you when he's finished his examination."

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Sam was pacing the corridor outside the door of exam 1. Two more hospital staff had entered the room but for ten minutes no one had emerged .He stopped dead when the door was at last flung open and Dean was wheeled out into the corridor by Dr. Davidson and three others, they hurried towards the elevator.

The lower part of Dean's face was covered by an oxygen mask and he was hooked up to an IV and various monitors and equipment. All of which was being rushed along beside the bed by the hospital staff.

"Doctor what's happening to my brother? Where are you taking him?" Sam asked as he too hurried along beside the bed.

They reached the elevator and Dr. Davidson pressed the button marked two, then spoke to Sam. "He had another seizure while I was examining him. We've stabilized him and we're taking him for a CT scan, it seems he's developed a clot and it's putting pressure on the brain that's why he's seizing. The CT will show us the exact location of the clot and then we'll have to operate to drain the clot."

"He'll be okay then." Sam said as the elevator doors opened and they pushed Dean inside.

"It's not good I'm afraid, surgery on the brain is very risky so I've called in a neurosurgeon to operate she'll tell you more when she arrives."

With that the doors closed, leaving Sam staring helplessly at the steel doors

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_**Wednesday Morning at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Dr. Sheppard the neurosurgeon had introduced herself to Sam and explained to him the procedure she was going to perform on Dean. The surgery involved drilling two small holes in Dean's forehead above his right eye down at a forty five degree angle into the blood clot which was located behind his right eye and drain the blood and fluid away through the holes. Two tubes would be inserted into the holes to keep the clot draining and from filling up again. She explained that all brain surgery was very delicate and risky, but she would do her best for his brother and was confident that the surgery would be successful.

Sam looked at Dr. Sheppard's kindly face she was a tall slim woman around fifty her long brown hair had a wing of gray at each temple and laughter lines around her eyes.

Sam knew instantly he could trust her and that she would do her best for Dean.

"Can I see him before the surgery doctor?" Sam asked hopefully.

"You can go in now while I scrub in, don't be too alarmed when you see him he's wired up to all kinds of equipment and as we need to monitor him closely and he's sedated to control the seizures."

Sam knew Dean as tough and strong, but lying there Dean looked vulnerable and fragile like bone china ready to shatter at the slightest touch his bare chest was covered in pads attached to the monitors, two IV's snaked from the back of each hand, a ventilator had now replaced the oxygen mask. For the second time in a week Sam thought Dean looked so young and so unlike the Dean he knew and loved, his long dark lashes shadowed the purple smudges under his eyes.

This was the Dean Sam had only seen a handful of times in his life, and it frightened Sam, because Sam knew that meant he could lose him. _What if he doesn't make it through the surgery? What will I do without him? _

Sam gently squeezed Dean's fingers so as not to disturb the IVs in Dean's hands. "I'm here Dean and I'll be here when you wake up, I know you can get through this Dean, please for me, coz I need my big brother, I can't make it without you."

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That was an hour and a half ago and Dean was still in surgery. Sam was pacing back and forth across the waiting room across from the operating theatre. Twenty minutes ago a staff member had brought him a cup of sludge that they passed off as coffee, it sat untouched on the small table in the corner.

The next time Sam turned he saw Dr. Sheppard removing her operating gown and cap as she came through the automatic doors leading to the operating theatres.

The doctor saw Sam and smiled at him, Sam relaxed a little when he saw that smile. _That must mean something good, surely._

Sam stood rooted to the spot and let the doctor come to him "How's my brother?" Sam asked her.

"He came through the surgery, I've drained the clot and put the drainage tubes in place, he's still in recovery, shortly they will be taking him to the ICU, and he'll stay there for at least the next twenty four hours he's on a ventilator and under sedation. We'll ease off the sedation in a day or two and then we'll take him off the ventilator, when he's fully awake we'll see if there's any damage to the brain from the pressure of the haematoma, the blood clot."

"When can I see him?" Sam asked

"When he's settled in the ICU, you can see him, but of course he's sedated so he won't be awake."

"Yes, I understand, thank you doctor."

"It's my pleasure; I'll come and see him later to see how he's getting on, excuse me, please." Then she walked away.

After Dr. Sheppard walked away Sam sat down on the nearest chair in the waiting room. He was glad he was alone because the tears that had been threatening for the last two hours started to fall and it was long time before they stopped.

**TBC**

**Mostly Sam in this chapter, with Dean mostly unconscious, shall I wake him up in chapter 15?**

**Please review and let me know.**

**Silvertayl**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_**Thursday Afternoon at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Dean was at the bottom of a deep, dark hole, he struggled desperately to push himself up through the darkness that seemed to be keeping him prisoner, but the darkness had a strange gravity that was holding him down like invisible hands.

Up high above him he saw a dim light; he renewed his effort to break away from the darkness, straining towards the faint light. Dean knew the source of the light was where Sam was and Sammy needed him.

The strange gravity wrapped around him, the invisible dark hands pulled him down further and further away from the light and away from Sammy.

"**No." **He yelled, the word echoing around him in the darkness.

Then the light was gone as he was engulfed in complete darkness and silence.

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The next thing Dean was aware of was that the darkness had receded and he was no longer being held down by the invisible hands. The light that before had been dim and far above him, was now bright and surrounding him pressing against his closed eye lids.

Dean wanted to open his eyes but someone had put lead weights on them and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't force them open. _I'll rest for a while then try again._

He became aware of other things, noises, a beeping, a click then a swooshing followed by another click. These sounds seemed strangely familiar.

There were voices as well, talking softly nearby. Dean caught snatches of their conversation in between the beeping, swooshing and clicking.

"..e'll fight …. ventilat … when … wakes …. he hates …. tube... is throat." _That's Sam, thank god he's alright._

"..en I' … have … sedate … ain."

The problem of opening his eyes was solved when his right eye was forced open and a bright light was shone into it then the same with the left eye.

Dean tried to lift his hand to shield his eyes from the light, but the lead weights had been transferred from his eyelids to his hands, and something else was going on with his hands, there was something pulling against the skin in the back of them, _and what is that in my mouth, it feels like there's something in there going down my throat? _

_Beeping, clicking, swooshing, something in the skin of my hands and something down my throat, wait, I know what this is, and I'm back in the hospital, on a ventilator and an IV in my hands. Shit I hate that tube down my throat._

Now the parts of the conversation he had heard made sense, Sam was telling who ever it was that he hated the damned ventilator_. Yeah, you tell 'em Sammy, make 'em take it out._

Dean tried to put the pieces of his fractured memory back together.

Sam and he were at the asylum they'd torched the place too close that damned door. Then other things came to him, tickling at his memory, the sickness and dizziness, the double vision and weakness in his limbs, and then he remembered collapsing to his knees in front of the Impala calling out to Sam, after that nothing, until the strange dream of the darkness keeping him away from the light, the light he knew where Sam was waiting for him. Then the darkness pulled him back away from the light and away from Sam into oblivion.

_Why am I on a damned ventilator? I'll try to open my eyes and find out why._

With a huge effort Dean opened his eyes. Sam and some woman, Dean assumed she was the one who shined the light in his eyes. _A doctor, I guess, _were standing on each side of the bed, they were looking at each other having a conversation in quiet tones.

Sam must have sensed Dean was watching him because he broke off what he was saying and looked down at him.

"Dean, you're awake." He said surprise in his voice.

_Thanks for that astute observation, Captain Obvious._

The doctor leaned over Dean saying. "Don't try to talk you have a tube down your throat helping with your breathing, just relax and let the ventilator do the work."

That was the wrong thing to say as Dean did just the opposite and started to panic his throat tightened around the tube as he found himself unable to breath and started gasping and fighting the obstruction to his breathing.

He reached up to take the offending tube away, the doctor intercepted his hand with her own hand and pushed it back down, saying. "No Dean leave it, relax."

Dean struggled even harder real panic setting in, his wide desperate eyes looking to Sam for help.

Sam leaned down and put his hands on Dean's shoulders, saying in his firmest John Winchester voice. "Dean listen to me, you have to calm down or you're going to suffocate."

_Can't Sammy, scared._ Dean was seeing black spots dancing across his vision his body starved of precious oxygen.

With his hands still on Dean's shoulders, Sam looked helplessly at the doctor. "Doctor do something."

"I'll have to sedate him again." She said reaching for a hypodermic and injecting it directly into the IV port in Dean's hand.

Dean was still struggling against the respirator, his green eyes wide and staring and his face was flushed from his exertions.

The sedative started to take effect and he relaxed against the pillow his eyelashes fluttered a couple of times and then closed and as the sedative sent him back into the darkness his breathing again under the control of the ventilator.

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Sam looked down at Dean's still flushed but relaxed face and breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully Dean's exertions hadn't dislodged the drain tubes in his forehead they were still intact, leading to a bag attached to the side of the bed.

Taking his hands away from Dean's shoulders he straightened and looked at Dr. Sheppard who was checking Dean's IV lines and monitors.

Dr. Sheppard looked over at Sam and he smiled apologetically at her. "He hates being on a ventilator he always reacts that way to them."

"I'm surprised a young man like him has been on a respirator more than once." The doctor said fiddling with a lead running to the heart monitor.

"The first time was when he had pneumonia and the second time when we were in a car accident."

"Oh, I see, well we'll have to keep him sedated until he comes off the respirator; we don't want that to happen again."

"When do you think that will be doctor?"

"I'd say tomorrow morning." She said and moved around the bed to stand beside Sam. "In the mean time why don't you go and get some rest you look done in."

"No, I'd rather stay with him."

"Sam, how long is it since you ate or slept? You don't want to end up in here. Dean will be sedated until at least tomorrow morning and I'm sure he won't be happy when he finds out you haven't eaten or slept in three days**, GO,** doctors orders."

"Alright, alright, I'm going." He then grasped Dean's fingers squeezing them gently Sam looked down at him saying. "I'll be back in the morning bro, before you wake, behave yourself while I'm gone, don't give the nurses any grief."

"He's in good hands."

"I know, thanks doc, see in the morning." Then he left.

After the door had shut behind Sam Dr. Sheppard turned to the handsome young man lying on the in front of her, she noted his long dark eyelashes that any woman would die for, a smattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose, his full sexy lips, she gently ran her fingers through his short hair light brown hair. "If only I was twenty years younger, sleep tight Dean, I'll take out that tube tomorrow."

There was something about the Vincent brothers, one bought out the mother in her, and the other bought out the woman in her. She chastised herself_. Look at him; he's young enough to be your son._

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_**Friday Morning at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

When Dean awoke he was back in the asylum, strapped to the operating table and Dr. Franklin was above him smiling evilly and holding up a huge ice pick, a climbers' ice pick used when climbing an icy snow covered mountain.

Dean opened his mouth to beg him not to use that thing on him, but his vocal cords seemed to be paralyzed by something jammed down his throat preventing him speaking his desperate plea.

Struggling ineffectually against the bindings holding him against the table, Dean felt the tears of fear and frustration in his eyes spill over to run across his temples and trail down onto the table beside his head.

Still smiling Dr. Franklin patted his shoulder, saying. "I knew you'd come back, now I can finish making you better, now hold still this won't hurt a bit."

With that he moved the ice pick slowly towards his eye.

Dean closed his eyes shutting out the vision of that huge ice pick descending towards his eye praying for a savior, a savior in the shape of his little brother. _Sam save me!_

All was quiet and after a minute of nothing piercing his eye, Dean opened his eyes again to see the one person he had been praying for. Sam, he was above him smiling down at him with his typical thin lipped Sammy smile.

"Hey man glad you could join us." Sam said still smiling.

Dean slid his eyes from Sam to the person standing beside Sam. She smiled and said. "Morning Dean you ready to loose that ventilator tube?"

The only acknowledgment he could make was a nod of his head.

_It was only a nightmare, thank god, I'm still on the damn ventilator though, yeah, yeah get it out now._

Sam stepped back away from the bed as the doctor took his place, she lifted the back of the bed until he was nearly sitting upright and disconnected the tube from the ventilator and took hold of the end of the tube protruding from his mouth, looking down into his eyes she said. "When I say now I want you to exhale and I'll pull it out."

"Okay, now." Dean exhaled and closed his eyes, he felt the tube rushing up his throat and exiting his body, in three seconds it was gone and he could breathe again.

Taking in a huge breath Dean started to cough uncontrollably, the coughing gradually abated after a couple of agonizing minutes and Dean lay there drawing in huge gulps of air, feeling like he'd been chasing a werewolf for miles through a dense forest, he was exhausted and his throat felt raw and swollen.

Dean opened his eyes to see Sam anxiously looking at him. Dean gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile and said. "Thirsty, Sammy." It came dry and raspy, as if to prove his words.

Sam retrieved a small cup with a straw in it from the bed tray and held it to Dean's lips he drank greedily and felt the water trailing a cooling path down his sore burning throat.

"Not too fast." Dr. Sheppard said, and then added, "Or you'll be sick."

At her the words of warning, the water hit Dean's empty stomach and was waging a war to decide whether it was going to stay down or make another appearance.

Dean took a couple of deep breaths waiting for the war in his stomach to be decided one way or another. His stomach won the war and the water that had felt so good going down came rushing back up.

Dr. Sheppard could see what was going to happen, quickly grabbed the plastic bowl next to the bed and placed it under Dean's chin just in time for the encore presentation of the water.

After Dean's stomach had finished rejecting the life giving moisture, she took the bowl away and wiped his face with a face towel from the bathroom and said. "Let's try that again shall we, just a few small sips."

Dean did as he was told as Sam held the straw close to his lips; he took two tiny sips and let the straw go. Sam put the cup back down on the bed tray.

The doctor picked up the clip board from the end of the bed and started writing something down, when she'd finished she replaced the clip board and put her pen back in the pocket of her white coat looking back at Dean she said. "I want you to rest now; you've had surgery on your brain to drain away a haematoma, you're a lucky young man, you had us all very worried for a while, especially Sam. I'll come back later and run a few tests."

"Thanks doc." Dean said his voice still quiet and raspy.

"Your welcome, I'll see you two later." She said glancing from Dean to Sam then she turned and left the room.

Sam pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down.

"You want some more water?" Sam asked.

"Sounds good." His voice sounding strange to his own ears.

Sam held the cup while Dean took a few more sips, when he'd finished he said "Thanks Sammy, so what happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"I know we torched the asylum, I remember walking back to the car and then feeling so weak my legs went from under me and then you were running towards me, that's it."

"Man you really scared me, you were having a seizure, so I put you in the car and came straight here, you had another seizure in the car and another after we got here."

"Hm, guess I shoulda' stayed here huh?"

"You think?" Sam said sarcastically, then added "Dean you had a blood clot on the brain, Dr. Sheppard operated to drain the clot and release the pressure on your brain, you should see yourself, you've got drainage tubes in your head you're a mess."

"I have? I am?" Dean said frowning and reaching up to touch his head. "Where?"

"In your forehead."

Dean's fingers found the two tubes inserted above his right eye. "Shit Sam."

"I should have asked the doctor if she even found anything resembling a brain in there after she drilled holes through your thick skull." Sam's tone then softened, "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"I didn't want you to worry and besides I knew you'd make me come back here."

"You're unbelievable, do you realize you almost died."

"I'm sorry Sam." Dean said not able to look into Sam's angry face, he was looking down at the cotton blanket neatly folded across his stomach.

Sam's expression softened when he saw Dean was genuine in his apology, his voice quiet when he said, "What would I have done if you'd died, I need my big brother, I can't make it without you." Repeating almost word for word what he'd said to him before the surgery when Dean was unconscious.

Dean looked up at Sam with suspiciously shiny eyes and repeated. "I'm sorry Sammy; it won't happen again, I promise."

Sam returned Dean's look and saw sincerity in his eyes. He smiled lopsidedly and said. "If you do I'll kill you."

"Fair enough." Dean said with a smile and then felt his body griped by a sudden feeling of bone deep exhaustion.

Sam saw the change in Dean's expression and took hold of his forearm. "Hey dude you alright?"

"I'm tired Sam I think I'd like to rest now."

"Of course, I'll go." Sam half turned towards the door when Dean grasped his arm.

"No don't go stay, please?"

"Are you sure?"

Dean nodded and leaning back against the pillow he closed his eyes.

Sam lowered the top of the bed, half way between sitting and flat and sat in the chair beside Dean, when he thought Dean was asleep he took hold of Dean's fingers and laid his head on the bed next to him, he whispered quietly, "I'm not goin' anywhere."

Sam never saw the smile that crossed Dean's face, at the feel of Sam's warm hand wrapped around his fingers, the tickle of Sam's hair against his arm and his softly whispered words.

He fell to sleep, a deep, healing dreamless sleep.

**TBC**

**I decided to wake Dean up, but there is still a twist in this tale.**

**Please read and review, ta.  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to all who are reading and enjoying, and to Loco aka Ms Okie Dokie for her beta skills.**

**Here comes the twist.**

**Chapter 16**

_**Thursday Morning at the Athens Memorial Hospital**_

Sam knew the conversation he had with Dean six days earlier, was the first reason Dean hadn't discharged himself before now. Sam had finally got through Dean's thick skull that Dean couldn't keep treating himself like he wasn't important, he was very important to Sam and all the other people he'd saved and helped over the years. The second reason being the hot nurses lining up outside Dean's door to give him a bed bath and take care of his every need. Even the redhead from emergency, whose name they had found out was Millie had come up to the fourth floor and hovered about ready if Dean needed her.

Dr. Sheppard had come into Dean's room to give Dean his clearance to be discharged, she stood unnoticed observing the five occupants of the room. Sam sitting on a chair in the corner smiling at the three nurses around the bed giggling like school girls and taking turns to spoon feed Dean his breakfast. Dean was lapping up the attention and loving every minute of it.

"Girls, I'm sure you have other patients that need attending too." She said sternly.

The nurses heads whipped around to her, then they looked down at their feet mumbling, "Yes Dr. Sheppard, of course Dr. Sheppard." Almost tripping over each other in their haste to exit the room.

Folding her arms across her chest Dr. Sheppard said, "Morning Sam, Dean, now Dean I thought I warned you about monopolizing the staff's time, I knew I should have made sure you had all male nurses."

Dean gave her one of his brilliant smiles and answered with, "Arr come on doc you wouldn't wanna' spoil their fun, besides it's not my fault, they find me irresistible and they can't stay away."

She smiled at him and said. "Well it won't happen again because you're being discharged today."

"That's great news doc, I'm outta' here." Dean said as he almost leaped from the bed.

"Dude, chill for a minute Dr. Sheppard said today not this very second." Sam said holding his hand palm out in a motion to slow down towards Dean.

Dean looked disappointed as he flopped back down onto the bed.

The doctor laughed at Dean's sulky face and said. "The results of the latest CT show no sign of the clot reforming, so after I check the incisions in your forehead and the paper work is all sorted you can go."

Two hours later Dean was pushed in a wheelchair to the entrance, at first he refused to use the wheelchair but when four nurses fought over which one of them was going to push him to the doors he changed his mind and came up with a solution that should satisfy them all. He suggested that they take turns to push, reluctantly the girls agreed.

At the doors Dr. Sheppard was waiting, she rolled her eyes at Sam when she saw Dean's entourage.

Sam shrugged one shoulder and gave her a lopsided smile.

"Hey doc, couldn't let me go without saying goodbye huh?" Dean said standing up from the wheelchair.

He turned to the nurses his eyes sliding across all four of them, saying. "Thanks girls I'll take it from here."

They all looked disappointed and with a chorus of sad goodbyes they walked away, glancing back over their shoulders every few steps and giving him little waves.

Dean turned his attention back to the doctor. "Well doc I guess this is goodbye, thanks for everything." He said holding out his hand a smile from ear to ear.

The doctor took his hand in hers and then in a spur of the moment action leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Dean looked as surprised as she seemed to be herself at the spontaneous action. "You take care and I don't wanna see either of you back here again, okay." She said glancing between the two of them.

"Will do." Dean said.

Then she moved to Sam and repeated the hand shake and the kiss on the cheek, thinking to herself, _oh well might as well go the whole hog._

Sam looked embarrassed as he said. "I can't thank you enough, you saved my brothers life."

"Don't mention it Sam, I think things are going to be quiet around here without you two, but at least the nurses will get their work done."

She watched as the young handsome men walked away, across the car park towards a sleek black car. Dean tried to get behind the wheel but Sam wouldn't let him, holding the keys out of Dean's reach. Dean reluctantly walked around to the passenger side, the doors slammed, the engine come to life with a rumble, and they drove out of the car park. She stood there watching until the car disappeared from view.

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_**Thursday Evening at the University Inn, Athens Ohio**_

Dean had pleaded with Sam to go out to a restaurant for dinner. "Oh come on Sam, I think I deserve a decent meal after suffering hospital food for a week, I'd like to sit at a dining table and eat with a real knife and fork instead of plastic ones, I won't even fight you to drive baby, she's all yours. " Dean said trying to use Sam's own puppy dog look, hoping Sam would take pity on him. It worked.

"Alright, I saw an Italian place about a mile from here, we can go there." Sam said with a smile.

"Italian just the thing." Dean smiled at Sam. _That was easy._

They had both enjoyed their meal and had talked at length about the events of the last two weeks, Dean opening up to Sam and retelling of the torments and so called treatments he'd suffered in the asylum. By the end of the meal they had decided to return to the burnt out asylum on Saturday night to be sure that the fire had successfully closed the door in time for ever.

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Sam didn't know what had woken him, he lay quietly his eyes shut hoping to go right back to sleep when a quiet moan sounded from Dean's bed, Sam rolled over and flicked the switch on the lamp on the table in between the two beds, his eyes taking a few seconds to adjust to the extra light.

Dean was lying on his back, unusual for him, his normal position on his stomach, his head tossing from side to side, legs moving restlessly under the blanket. Dean was having a nightmare.

Sam was at Dean's side in a second, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at Dean, his eyes were closed at there was a glisten of perspiration across his brow and upper lip, the two small scars left from the drainage tubes looked red and inflamed in the lamp light.

Sam unsure whether he should wake Dean laid a hand on Dean's upper arm, hoping that the gentle touch would wake him.

Dean continued to toss his head and moaned again this time followed by a whispered plea. "Please don't do this you're making a mistake."

From his whispered words, Sam knew Dean was reliving in this nightmare what had happened in the asylum.

Sam shook his arm gently, saying. "Dean, wake up dude, you're safe."

Instead of waking Dean seemed to sink further into the nightmare his back arched off the bed, his head thrown back eyes scrunched up and his teeth gritted. A hiss escaped from between his clenched teeth.

Sam shook him harder and leaned close to Dean's straining face. "Dean, It's me Sammy you're safe bro, wake up."

Sam felt Dean relax a little under his hands, then Dean's eyes opened, he blinked a few times bringing Sam's worried face into focus. "Sammy what are you doing?"

"You were having a nightmare, a pretty bad one."

"I was, oh yeah I was, wasn't I?"

Sam got off the bed and went into the bathroom returning with a glass of water. "Here drink some of this." He said.

Dean sat up moved back so he was sitting with his back against the bed head and took the glass in trembling hands. He took a long swallow of the water and put the glass down next to the lamp.

"Thanks Sammy."

Sam sat down once again on the edge of Dean's bed saying, "Do you wanna' tell me about it?"

Dean wiped the back of his hand across his upper lip, and looked down away from Sam's face saying, "I was in the asylum with Dr. Frankenstein and that witch of a matron, they… were giving me that shock treatment again."

Sam nodded. "I figured that much."

Dean looked up into Sam's concerned face and said. "Sam, it was so real like it was happening again, I could feel the pain and the fear."

Sam gave Dean one of his thin lipped smiles and gently squeezed his upper arm. Trying to sound comforting and reassuring at the same time he said. "I'm sure it felt real but it was a nightmare, Dean."

"Yeah you're right, I'm good now go back to bed."

"I can sit here for a while if you like."

"No, no, go back to bed. You need your beauty sleep Samantha."

Sam gave a snort of laughter and got up going back to his own bed, he gave Dean one more look then rolled over away from Dean and after a while went back to sleep.

Dean sat in his bed looking at Sam's back, after about ten minutes he heard the change in Sam's breathing and knew he had fallen back to sleep.

Dean sighed and closing his eyes he leaned his head back against the bed head, the nightmare playing an instant replay against his closed eyelids. He opened his eyes again and it vanished.

That was not the first nightmare Dean had since Sam rescued him from the asylum, he'd had one every time he'd slept in the hospital, all were filled with Dr. Franklin, Matron Reed, giant ice picks and shock therapy. Dean had thought the nightmares would stop when he was discharged but the first night away from the hospital it had come to him again.

Dean figured the only way to put an end to the nightmares apart from going to a shrink was going back to the asylum and making sure that door is closed permanently. That would give closure on this hunt that had turned bad for not only himself but Sam as well. Dean knew his brother had suffered emotionally while he had been missing for a week and the subsequent events in the last week, following Sam's rescuing him from the asylum and then his lifesaving operation.

Now it was a matter of trying to keep the nightmares at bay until Saturday night, when they were going back to the burnt out shell of the asylum for hopefully the last time.

_If I stay awake for the next forty eight hours that should do it, no sleep no nightmares._

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_**Saturday Evening at the Asylum**_

The ground floor of the asylum was almost untouched by the fire, the first floor however was a chard ruin, parts of the roof had collapsed in onto the floor, the moon light casting an eerie silvery glow through the gapping holes in the roof.

Using flashlights Sam and Dean picked their way carefully through the debris, to the spot that used to be the end of the _**cell **_corridor, clearing a space on the floor close to the wall they sat with their backs against the wall. Sam propped the rock salt shot gun he had insisted on bringing against the wall beside him and they waited.

Dean looked down at the salt gun in between them saying. "I still don't think we need that, there's no EMF reading in here."

"Dean, do we have to have this discussion again?"

Neither of them said any more as midnight came and went nothing had changed; no drop in temperature no shimmering shifting air.

Dean looked at Sam in the dim light and said "Well Sammy looks like it worked."

"Maybe you can get some sleep now?" Sam said

"What?"

"I know you haven't slept since you were discharged from the hospital, Dean."

"How'd you know that?"

"I just do. It was because of the nightmares right?"

"I can't fool you can I Sam, you got me, I figured that coming here tonight would probably put a stop them, the nightmares, you know closure and all that hokie stuff."

"I hope you're right."

"Yeah me too, let's get outta' here I've seen enough of this place in one way or another or time and another to last me a lifetime."

"There are a couple of cold beers in the car, lets celebrate."

Dean smiled saying "Ah Sam the boy scout, always prepared."

Sam smiled back lifting his arms he said. "You bet."

Dean stood and put his hand down to Sam.

Sam picked up the salt gun and took Dean's hand hauling himself to his feet.

They began to pick their way back through the debris, when the EMF meter in Dean's pocket went off squealing loudly.

"What the hell." Dean said reaching into his pocket he pulled out the EMF the noisy squealing now louder and more insistent, the little red bulbs on top dancing on and off.

"Dean." Sam said drawing Dean's eyes to his face.

Sam was looking towards the end of the corridor. Dean followed the direction of Sam's eyes to the ghostly form hovering above the floor at the end of the corridor.

Dean's throat went dry and his eyes widened as the semi transparent spirit of Dr. William Franklin clad in dress shirt, suit pants and bow tie a giant ice pick in hand, hovered in front of them blocking their exit.

Franklin was looking at Dean; he spoke his voice echoing eerily towards them. "I knew you'd come back."

Without warning the spirit was gliding towards them with unbelievable speed.

Sam raised the salt gun to fire into the fast advancing form, before he could squeeze the trigger, the spirit raised a hand in Sam's direction and Sam flew backwards, his back contacting against the wall behind him, the gun falling from his hands with the force of the impact.

Franklin's advance ended a second after Sam hit the wal. He hit Dean in the chest with the full weight of his ghostly form knocking Dean flat on his back into a pile of debris from a fallen section of the roof.

Dean was winded by the impact and found himself gasping for breath and staring up into the deathly pale face of Franklin who was hovering horizontally above him holding him against the floor with an invisible ghostly force.

Franklin raised the hand holding the ice pick into Dean's line of sight saying with a smile. "This won't hurt a bit."

Dean's horrified eyes stared at the descending ice pick, trying desperately to break the invisible force holding him captive.

"No…No" he squeezed out between gritted teeth.

The ice pick came closer and closer to his wide staring eye; it was only an inch away when the loud report of a shot gun echoed in his ears. The spirit above him disintegrated and rock salt showered down on his head and face.

Drawing in huge lung fulls of air Dean turned his head to the right, and saw his savior Sam, still holding the shot gun up at the spot the spirit had been moments before.

Sam cocked his head to one side and said with a slight smile as he waved the shot gun in Dean's direction. "Aren't you glad I bought this?"

Finally recovering his breathe Dean said. Don't you dare say I told you so. Are you gonna help me up or stand there all night gloating."

Sam picked his way across the rubble strewn floor to Dean and put down his hand and pulled Dean to his feet.

"You okay Sammy?"

"Yeah you?"

"I'm good."

Apart from bruised backs there were no major injuries. Sam said "Let's get the hell outta' here before he comes back to finish the job."

"Absolutely." Dean said as they made their way as quickly as possible to the stairs and out of the asylum.

When they reached the car Dean said. "We'll have to locate Franklin's remains salt and burn 'em, and get rid of that son of a bitch for good."

Sam nodded and said. "Guess those beers will have to wait then huh."

"'fraid so, we'll keep 'em on ice until we finish this."

**TBC**

**There's the twist in the tale, hope it pleased you Fantasy, my, oh so impatient No. 1 reader.**

**Please read and review.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer :** See Chapter 1

**Chapter 17**

_**Monday Afternoon at the Athens Public Library, Athens Ohio**_

They had been at the library most of the morning. Now the early afternoon found them still scanning through the – _**Births, Deaths and Marriages **_records, looking for Dr. William Franklin's place of burial.

Dean closed another huge file and reached for the next one with a sigh of frustration, saying rather loudly for the interior of a library. "You'd think they'd get into the twenty-first century and have all this stuff put on computer."

Sam looked up from the file he was reading to Dean across the large wooden desk. "Shush, just keep looking."

Opening the cover of the next file, Dean let the heavy hard cover drop onto the desk with a loud thump; the librarian looked in his direction and shook her head, put her finger against her lip saying "Shhhhhh."

"Dean quit it." Sam said annoyed, going back to reading.

"I hate this, Sam."

"I know you've told me a thousand times since we've been here." Sam said without looking at Dean.

"It's soooo boring." Dean said flipping over a page.

Looking up Sam felt a pang of concern at Dean's tired face. He knew Dean hadn't slept for at least five nights. It showed in the dark circles under his eyes and his paler than usual complexion.

"Why don't you go and get us some coffee? I'll keep looking." Sam said.

"Really?"

"Yeah go on, take a break."

Dean glanced at the librarian, then at the sign on the counter - **NO FOOD OR BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED TO BE BROUGHT INTO OR TO BE CONSUMED IN THE LIBRARY** then back to Sam. "How am I gonna get it past the ice maiden?"

"Use the Dean Winchester charm."

"Don't think even I could charm her."

"You'll think of something now go."

Dean made his way to the exit, giving the librarian one of characteristic smiles as he passed the counter.

He thought he saw a slight lift in her stony expression. _This might just work._

Thirty minutes later Dean returned with a take out container of coffee for Sam in hand hidden underneath his leather jacket. Deciding not to push his luck he had drunk his outside.

Dean sat with his back to the counter blocking the librarian's view of Sam and produced the cup from under his jacket. "There you go."

"Where's yours?" Sam asked taking the lid off the cup.

"Drunk it outside, you find anything yet?"

"Nope not yet." He answered taking a drink from the steaming cup.

Dean slid the discarded file he'd left open towards him and resumed scanning the entries.

Both were silent for awhile as they worked at the files, Sam taking sips at the coffee.

"I got it." Dean said his finger jabbing at the page he was viewing.

"Well." Sam said looking askance at him.

Dean turned the file towards Sam, he read from where Dean's finger had indicated.

_**Dr. William Peter Franklin**_

_**DOB: September 9 1909**_

_**DOD: April 17 1996**_

_**Interred at: The Alexander Cemetery**_

_**Hebbardsville Road Athens, Ohio**_

_**Plot No. : 415**_

Dean smiled at Sam and said. "We've got work to do, Sammy, but right now I need a cheese burger and fries."

Sam shoved the empty cup into the pocket of his jacket and got to his feet, following Dean towards the exit.

Dean gave the ice maiden another blinding smile as he passed. _Yep definitely melting, you still got it Winchester._

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_**Monday Evening at the Alexander Cemetery, Athens Ohio**_

Storm clouds gathered as the sun set, with rolls of thunder and flashes of lightning becoming more frequent as they drove to the cemetery.

The rain started as they got out of the Impala. Trudging through the cemetery they were soon soaked to the skin, the grass squelching and sucking at their boots with every step. A sudden gust of wind sent an icy sheet of rainwater into their exposed faces.

"It should be around here somewhere." Dean said shining the flash light onto the nearby headstones.

"Just our luck it hasn't rained the whole two weeks we've been in Athens and tonight because we gotta dig up Franklin it's a thunder storm." Sam grumbled as he also shone his flash light around the headstones.

A flash of lightning lit up the cemetery and a roll of thunder rolled around the headstones.

"Yahtzee." Dean said as he threw the duffle bag onto the ground beside a well maintained grave with a large ornate marble headstone, proclaiming it to be the final resting place of,

_**Dr. WILLIAM P FRANKLIN**_

_**9-9-1909 – 17-4-1996**_

_**SADLY MISSED**_

Without another word, they started to dig, spades getting heavier as the soil mixed with the rain turning it to mud as the rain continued to fall, beating down on their backs.

After twenty minutes, when their spades finally struck the lid of the casket, they were covered in a coat of mud and breathing hard.

Sam climbed laboriously out of the grave, his clothes weighing him down with the extra weight of the rain and mud; even his longer legs didn't seem to help him lever himself out of the hole.

Dean handed his spade up to Sam with one hand and took the axe from Sam with the other hand.

With a couple of blows from the sharp axe Dean broke through the casket lid, uncovering what remained of Franklin.

Another flash of lightning allowed Dean to see Franklin's body clearly, a wisp of hair still clinging to his skull. The rain fell through the broken lid of the casket onto Franklin's remains, the rain causing the bones to darken and the wisps of hair to flatten against the grinning skull. Looking upon the remains of his tormentor, Dean felt a trickle of rain water run down his neck followed by a shiver of cold or was it fear, following the path of the rain down his spine to blend with the mud and rain already soaking his clothes.

Dean grasped Sam's hand and clambered out of the grave. Sam dug his heels into the grass to prevent them from sliding back into the muddy hole. The mud seemed to be trying to suck Dean back down in with Franklins remains.

Dean was eventually lying on the edge of the grave, his face turned towards the falling rain as he regained his breath.

Sam tapped him on the chest sending up spurts of water asking. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you got the salt and the lighter fluid."

Lightning and thunder continued to flash and roll around them, illuminating the salt cellar and tin of lighter fluid Sam had taken from the duffle while Dean was breaking open the casket.

Dean went to sprinkle the salt from the salt cellar, but nothing came out. Dean knew it was full because it felt heavy in his hand.

"Damn it the salts wet."

Dean took his knife out and used it to levered the top off the salt cellar, dropping the knife on the edge of the hole, he poured the damp salt into his hand and threw it into the grave spreading it as best as he could over the bones.

Sam had better luck with the lighter fluid, squirting the contents of the small can onto the bones and the casket.

Dean took the match book from his pocket and held it up looking unbelieving at the soggy mess.

"Sam we gotta problem, the matches are wet."

"Oh, try one you might be able to get it to light."

Dean struck two and they disintegrated onto the sopping grass.

The wind picked up again, the flashes almost constant the rain swirling in a circular motion over Franklin's grave. Before their horrified eyes Franklin's ghostly form ice pick in hand appeared in the swirling wind and rain hovering above the open grave.

Sam reached for the salt gun his fingers brushed the wooden handle. Again as he had done in the asylum Franklin lifted his hand and Sam felt his body suddenly lift into the air and hurtle backwards his short flight ended with his back against an eight foot tall stone angel on one of the nearby graves, the back of his head contacted the stone hard, he slumped down to the bottom of the angel and slid sideways against the base, onto the wet grass, unconscious.

"Sammy!" Dean turned and took a step towards Sam's slumped form.

That was as far as Dean got before he was caught in the swirling vortex surrounding Franklin's spirit and dragged backwards. The wet useless match book dropped from his hand as his body was pitched backwards the heels of his boots scrapped across the muddy edge of the grave pulling the knife over the edge into the grave, before his left shoulder made contact with the marble headstone. Dean felt his shoulder dislocate with the impact and cried out in pain as he fell forwards into the open grave, coming to rest on his side against the broken casket lid, wooden splinters piercing his clothes and burying deep into the flesh of his hip and side, his nose assailed by the smell of the lighter fluid soaking into the broken wood.

Using the hand of his uninjured arm, Dean pushed himself back and folded his legs beneath him at the knees with more splinters embedded into his palm as he did so. Dean pulled his injured arm into his side holding it against his body with the splinter encrusted hand. Another flash of lightning illuminated the interior of the grave, something caught Dean's eye to the left of the casket. His knife, letting go of his injured arm he reached awkwardly across his body, his fingers grasped and closed tightly around the handle pushing the splinters further into his palm.

Dean's eyes blurred his lids blinking involuntarily as he looked up into the falling rain at Franklin hovering above the foot of his own grave.

Franklin's mouth opened and ghostly laughter echoed around Dean, the lightning flashed again and Franklin was in front of him his head and shoulders level with Dean's, in one hand was the ever present deadly ice pick. Franklin's bottom half from the hips down disappearing into the casket and the ground beneath.

"Son of a bitch." Dean growled as he scooted back on his knees, his knife still clutched in his hand.

Franklin lifted his hand and Dean was thrown back against the muddy wet wall of the grave, agonizing pain radiated from his dislocated shoulder as mud filled water dribbled down from above his head onto his face and down his neck as Franklin held him there with invisible force.

Franklin drifted towards him, stopping a foot in front of him, then for the first time that night the spirit spoke. "There'll be no escape this time, I **will **finish your treatment, you must see it's for your own good, now hold still this won't hurt a bit."

Dean once again found himself staring at the tip of the ice pick as it came closer and closer towards his eye.

Dean tried to lift the knife in self defense, even though he knew knives were no use against ghosts and spirits he had to try something but was unable to move a muscle, his hand trembled with effort. Above the cacophony of the storm he heard Sam twice call out his name.

Dean wanted to call out to Sam to tell him he was here, but even his vocal cords seemed paralyzed as he continued to struggle against Franklin's force.

When Sam came to, he wondered why he was lying in a puddle of water, then he remembered the cemetery, rain, Franklin's spirit and flying through the air. His head hurt, he put the tips of his fingers to the back of his head and wasn't surprised when it came away red, quickly turning pink as it mixed with the rain and ran away between his fingers.

Sam got slowly to his feet looking at Franklin's grave. _Where's Dean?_

"Dean…. **Dean.**"

Sam hurried towards Franklin's grave scooping up the rock salt gun on the way. He skidded to a stop on the sopping grass at the edge and looked down, he'd found Dean.

Dean, knife in hand was on his knees his back pressed back against the crumbling wet soil wall of the grave. Sam could see Dean's knife hand shaking with effort as he tried to lift it to defend himself against Franklin's ghostly hold. Franklin again was bringing the huge ice pick towards Dean's unprotected eye.

In one movement Sam aimed and fired the gun at Franklin's ghostly back.

The spirit dispersed into the wet air of the grave, wet salt falling onto Dean's chest and the broken lid of the casket.

In yet another flash of lightning, Sam saw Dean, he was still on his knees his back pressed against the wall his chest heaving as he looked up at Sam his eyes blinking against the rain falling into his eyes, his hair plastered to his head.

"What…kept… you?" Dean said in between breaths.

Sam smiled and said. "Sorry I was a little preoccupied with an angel."

Dean gave a little smirk and said. "Dude I popped my shoulder, I don't think I can climb outta here."

"There's some rope in the car, I'll go get it." Sam turned away when Dean's voice made him turn back.

"Sam."

Sam looked back down at Dean. "Yeah, what?"

"There's a lighter in the glove compartment."

"Okay."

Sam turned away again when Dean called him back again. "Oh and Sam hurry up before Franklin gets back."

"Dude I won't if you don't stop calling me back." With out waiting for a smartass come back Sam hurried back to the Impala, his feet sending up small fountains of water as he ran.

Sam found the rope in the trunk and the lighter in the glove compartment and ran back to Dean, noting as he did that the worst of the storm had passed.

Dean had moved to stand against the side of the grave. Dean handed the knife up to him. Sam knotted the rope and threw it down to him, Dean pulled the loop over his head with his good arm and then gently lifted the other through and pulled the rope tight around him, taking hold of the rope above the loop higher up he nodded his readiness.

Dean braced his feet against the wall and tried to help Sam as much as he was able his bung shoulder made it impossible to use that arm for leverage. Eventually Dean's head appeared at the top. Keeping tension on the rope with one hand Sam grabbed the back of Dean's jacket with the other and pulled him on to the grass. Rolling Dean gently onto his back he undid the rope from around Dean's chest saying. "You alright bro?"

"I'm good. Did you get the lighter?"

Sam dug around in his pocket and produced the lighter holding it up in front of Dean, a smile on his face his wet hair hanging down across his forehead in clumps curling into large commas.

Franklin suddenly materialized behind Sam, Dean yelled. "Sam, behind you."

At Dean's warning Sam turned the top half of his body at the waist, Franklin's hand shot out catching Sam across the face flinging him sideways, the force of the blow rolling Sam away from Dean to lie still, face up on the grass, the hand holding the lighter flung towards Dean his fingers still lightly curled around it.

Franklin was on Dean in a flash, one cold pale hand pressing against Dean's forehead and the other holding the ice pick again so close to his eye.

For the second time that night Dean felt himself held by Franklin's strong eerie steel force.

Franklin was leaning close his pale almost transparent face close to Dean's his breathe ice cold as he whispered. "No more interruptions, it's time to finish what I started over forty years ago."

Dean slid his eyes towards Sam realizing that the lighter was in reach of his injured arm, pain flared in his shoulder radiating down his arm as he moved it towards Sam's hand, his fingers brushed against the tips of Sam's long fingers. Dean's eyes went back to the ice pick now so close he crossed his eyes to keep it in sight. Dean's finger tips touched the cold metal of the lighter he grasped it, white hot pain shooting from his shoulder into his collar bone and down his arm as he flipped the lighter open and flicked the wheel, the tip of the ice pick touched the corner of his eye as he felt heat on the thumb resting on the strike wheel. He lifted his pain filled arm and with a groan of agony threw the lighter over the edge of the grave. There was a swoosh as the fluid caught the flame. Using his peripheral vision Dean saw flames begin to lick at the edge of the grave.

Dean tried to close his eyes as the pressure of the ice pick piercing his eye increased for a second then the pressure was released. Franklin's smile turned to a look of shock as he burst into flame, Dean felt heat on his face and a burning sensation on his forehead where a moment ago Franklin's hand had been, then Franklin was gone and force against him was lifted.

Dean pulled his injured arm into his side with the other hand and held it there as he pushed himself into a sitting position although he was leaning to starboard. He half dragged half crawled his way to Sam's side. Sam had a livid red mark across his cheek from Franklin's hand, Sam's blue-green eyes flickered open and focused on Dean's wet mud covered face. Sam grasped handfuls of Dean's jacket and sat up quickly his head almost connecting with Dean's nose.

"Wow take it easy tiger…. Last thing I need is a broken nose.You okay Sammy?"

"I'm good….what'd I miss, where's Franklin?" Sam said glancing around and seeing the flames licking at the top of the grave. "Did you?" Motioning his head towards the grave.

"Yep."

"It's over then huh?"

"I certainly hope so."

Sam noticed the strange slant of Dean's shoulder and said. "How's the shoulder?"

"Painful, let's clean up here and you can put it back in for me at the motel."

The storm was over, the rain had stopped and a weak crescent moon was shining as they made their way back to Impala.

Dean threw Sam the keys saying. "I think you'd better drive, wow, wait we can't get into Baby like this it'll ruin the upholstery."

"Dean, you're all beat to hell and you're worrying about the car."

"Hell yeah."

"Get in Dean, I'll clean her up in the morning alright?"

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course, you're my big brother and I'd do anything for you."

Dean held up his splintered palm saying. "No chick flick moments Sammy."

"It's Sam."

**TBC**

**One more chapter to wrap things up. Please let me know what you think.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Here is the last chapter of A Door In Time. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I have writing my first ever fan fiction.**

**Thanks to Ms Okie Dokie for betaing every chapter.**

**Chapter 18**

_**Monday Evening at the Athens Memorial Hospital, Athens Ohio**_

"I can't believe you made me come here, Sam." Dean grumbled as Sam dragged him through the doors of the ER.

"That shoulder needs proper attention Dean, it's too badly dislocated for me to put in." Sam said trying to make Dean see reason.

"You can do it, I know you can, lets go back to the motel." Dean tried to pull back out of Sam's hold.

Sam tightened his hold on Dean's good arm saying. "Oh no you don't we're staying until someone looks at that shoulder and some of those splinters in your hand are really deep."

Dean's uncomplimentary comeback was cut off by a familiar voice. "Sam, Dean what are you two doing here again?" Millie asked as she walked towards Sam and Dean who was still trying to pull out of the strong grip Sam had on his arm.

"Millie hi, I'm afraid we've had a bit of an accident." Sam said, smiling at the red head.

"We got caught in the storm Dean tripped and fell, I fell in the dark, and Dean's dislocated his shoulder and has some nasty splinters in his hand and side."

Millie looked at Dean's scowling face and mistaking his sour look for one of pain said. "You'd better come in here I'll get someone to take a look."

Millie led them into exam room 2 and said. "The doctor will be along shortly."

A short while later Dr. Davidson entered followed closely by Millie and looked from one to other of them saying with a smile of recognition. "Dean, Sam you two just can't stay away, can you?"

"Hey doc." Sam said. Dean remained broodingly silent.

The doctor took in Dean's posture and the unusual slant of his shoulder and said. "Dean what have you done now?"

Speaking for the first time to the doctor Dean said. "We got caught in the storm, I tripped against some wood in the wet popped my shoulder out and I've got a few wood splinters that's all."

"Well let's take a look shall we?" Dr. Davidson helped Dean remove his wet jacket, shirt and t-shirt. He glanced at Sam and added, "I'll get Millie to have a look at that cut."

As Millie was leading Sam out the door to another room Dean said. "Hey Millie while you're at it, you'd better sew up the crack in the back of his head, coz I think his brain is leaking out."

"Very funny Dean." Sam said as he left the room.

After examining Dean's shoulder and the splinters in his hand side and hip, Dr. Davidson made Dean feel more miserable than he already looked when he said. "That shoulder has to be manipulated back in under a mild anesthetic and some of those splinters are so deep they'll have to be lanced and extracted at the same time."

"Oh come on doc, can't you pop it back in now and pull out the splinters?"

"It's going to take a fair bit of manipulation to get it back in and that will be extremely painful, I'm afraid it has to be done under anesthetic."

"You've gotta be kiddin me?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Dr. Davidson smiled at the whoa-be-gone look Dean gave him. "Now I want you to get out of the rest of those wet clothes and put this on." He placed a hospital gown on the bed next to Dean, and then added, and you'll be admitted overnight, do you have any questions?"

"No, no questions, hey doc no offense but, I've seen enough of you lately to last me a lifetime."

Dr. Davidson smiled again and said. "No offense taken, now get that gown on and excuse me while I go and organize a theatre and a bed upstairs."

After the doctor had gone, Dean took his still wet shirt in his splintered hand and slid his feet onto the floor, holding the bad arm against his side with the same hand holding onto the shirt he crossed the short distance to the door, still holding the shirt he reached out to push the swinging door open, the door suddenly swung in towards him, filling the doorway was Sam, a white gauze covering the cut on his cheek and wearing hospital scrubs.

Sam stopped dead when he came face to face with his brother bare to the waist carrying his shirt in his hand. Sam realized straight away what Dean was about, he'd seen Dr. Davidson in the hallway, who told him he thought Dean was gonna make a run for it. Sam stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest saying. "Goin' somewhere Dean?"

Dean looked sheepishly at Sam saying. "No, what makes you think that?"

"Well I saw Dr. Davidson he told me you might try the great escape."

"Oh, you did, he did?"

"Get back over there and get that gown on, you're staying."

"Ah come on Sam, and what's with the getup, dude you joining the staff or what?" Dean looked Sam up and down.

Sam looked down at the scrubs he was wearing and then back at Dean. "Millie made me put 'em on, said she didn't want me to catch cold, and don't try that distraction thing, get back over there now."

Dean turned and reluctantly went back to the bed, mumbling. "You say I'm bossy."

"You say something, Dean?"

"No, nothing."

Sam had to abandon his guard on the door when it became painfully obvious that Dean was going to need help to remove his wet clothes, only having one good arm was making it difficult for Dean to get his wet muddy boots and jeans off.

"Here let me help you." He said kindly as he moved towards Dean.

"Gee thanks for the help, Judas." Dean said sarcastically.

Sam took no notice of Dean's comment and helped Dean to change into the highly unflattering hospital gown. When Dean was settled back on the bed, his wet clothes in a sad looking pile in the corner Sam resumed his position guarding the door, thinking that Dean might still make a run for the exit, so he effectively cut off his escape route. A mental picture of Dean running down the ER corridor with the hospital gown flapping open at the back and his backside in full view to all and sundry, bought a smile to Sam's face.

"What's so funny?"

"Funny, nothings funny."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Was I smiling?"

"Yeah, you were."

"Awkward." Sam mumbled and was saved from an explanation when an orderly came to take a sullen Dean to theatre.

Sam said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah whatever." Dean said as they wheeled him towards the elevator.

Sam went back to the motel still dressed in the scrubs, his wet clothes in a plastic bag Millie had provided for him.

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The next morning Sam entered Dean's room and found him sitting up in the bed still wearing the hospital gown, his left arm in a special sling to immobilize his arm and shoulder.

Dean looked up at Sam in the doorway and said. "Bout time you got here, help me get dressed will ya?" Then added. "They said I could leave when I was dressed."

"Nice to see you too." Sam said as he moved towards the bed.

Sam removed the sling and the hospital gown and saw the fresh white bandages on Dean's hip and side, around his left hand was another bandage which had been hidden by the sling.

Sam helped Dean into the now dry and neatly folded clothes putting the sling back on when Dean was dressed.

This time as they left the hospital there was no fan fair and they didn't attract every nurse in the hospital.

When they reached the Impala, Dean ran a hand over the bonnet, and said. "Ah baby it's been a rough night."

He went to the passenger side when he realized that again he would be unable the drive. Opening the door at last brought a smile to his face as he saw Sam had kept his word and the inside of his baby was clean with not a sign of mud anywhere, the floor and upholstery were clean and dry.

Dean straightened up and looked at Sam over the top of the car.

Sam cocked his head to the side saying. "I hope it meets with your master's approval."

"It's great Sam, thanks."

"Don't mention it, jerk." Sam was smiling his typical Sammy smile.

Dean couldn't help it his face split into a grin. "Bitch." Was all he said.

They got into Dean's precious baby and drove away from the hospital for the last time.

**THE END**

**To all who read and reviewed thank you for your comments, they were much appreciated, and for those who just read, thank you, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**I have another hunt lined up for the boys and will publish the first 3 chapters in a week to 10 days, that's a scary thought it will be Christmas.**


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